The History of Lighthalzen
by SilentDrake
Summary: A tale revolving around events concerning the founding of Lighthalzen. It follows the story of six friends, who are faced with different yet troubled pasts, dealing with each other and a powerful force after them for their own ends.
1. Chapter 1 Lighthal's Downfall

500 years ago, at the Schwartzwald Republic, reknowned scientist Zenit Zerter Lighthal founded the Lighthal Laboratory. Before the great city Lighthalzen was built, the Lighthal Laboratory was built at a remote valley somewhere in the Republic, away from the rest of civilization. Many scientists conduct their studies here because of the remote location and the amount of equipment available from Lighthal's investments. Most of the research here was for the advancement of civilization, but some of the experiments were of questionable nature…

At a bedroom somewhere within the facility, a scientist was busily poring over various notes. He didn't notice as a few of the notes on his desks suddenly vanished as a shadow passed over him. He started a bit, looked around, shrugged, and resumed his work. The shadow swiftly passed through the facility's hallways and out the front doors. The shadow stopped moving as it reached a dense cluster of trees outside the facility. It moved into the light of a clearing, revealing a blue-haired male assassin. He took out the notes he stole from the facility and carefully studied it.

"The secrets… of life?" said the assassin as he read the scientist's notes. His face became very serious the more he read. "I better show this to Rekenber." He pocketed the notes and disappeared deeper into the forest.

The Rekenber Corporation is the biggest corporation in the Schwartzwald Republic. It is well known for having forwarded the Republic in terms of commerce and technology. Lighthal's Laboratory was not under the Corporation's control or at least not yet. In the main building of the corporation, in an office at the highest floor, two individuals were arguing. One was well on in years and was dressed like a scientist. The other was a younger person who wore a suit, and despite his young look, he had an aura that demanded respect. The former is Zenit Zerter Lighthal, scientist who founded the Lighthal Laboratory and the latter is Sir Rekenber, the founder of Rekenber Corp. Lighthal had raised a fist towards Rekenber, whose back was turned on Lighthal. He said in an angry voice, "How many times do I have to tell you? The reason I founded the laboratory is for me and my fellow scientists to conduct research in peace! I will not sell my laboratory to the likes of you!" Rekenber faced Lighthal and said in a businesslike voice, "My good friend, I know that you are conducting research for the betterment of the Republic and you would like to be left well enough alone, but wouldn't it be better if you had financial support from me?" He approached Lighthal and offered him a glass of wine from his desk. "It's for both our interests…" He raised his own glass for a toast but Lighthal put his glass down and resumed his stance. "You just want to gain profit from my research! And as for financial matters, I can handle myself thank you! There's nothing you can do to…" Lighthal's words were cut short as an assassin suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.

The assassin approached Rekenber and whispered something in his ear before showed him some notes. Rekenber appeared amused as the assassin finished reporting. As the assassin turned to leave, Rekenber placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Guile, perhaps you want to witness this." Rekenber handed the notes to Lighthal and Lighthal's eyes widened as he read the notes. "Y-You… you've been snooping around my laboratory!" shouted Lighthal, pointing at the assassin. "You're finished Rekenber! As soon as the public hears about your trespassing in my laboratory you'll…"

"On the contrary my good man," said Rekenber with a smirk. "You're the one who's finished. Judging from the contents of those notes you hold in your hand, your researchers have been conducting illegal experiments… And apparently your researchers have obtained a test subject from Izlude." Rekenber took the notes from Lighal's trembling hand, flipped through it and showed him the picture of a young blue-haired female swordsman. "Egnigem Cenia, a female swordsman. You have been conducting Life Experimentation tests on her." Rekenber casually replaced the notes on the table. "If you don't want this little mishap of yours to go out, I suggest you agree to sell me your laboratory." Lighthal's expression became pale at Rekenber's statement. The assassin's indifferent gaze was not helping either. "It's your choice Lighthal," said Rekenber. "Whether you accept my offer or not I still get your laboratory. I will repossess it from you as, ahem, punishment for inhuman research." Lighthal collapsed in front of them and said weakly, "I… didn't know about this… 'Life Experimentation'… I… just wanted a place to hold my research…" He looked up at Rekenber and pleaded with him. "Please, allow me to resign from being a scientist entirely! J-Just… let me go in peace." Rekenber smiled and replied, "Yes, of course. As a bonus, I'll even resume any research you hadn't finished. I'll even credit them to you." Lighthal held up a hand. "No…" he said. "I'm through with this research thing." With those words, Lighthal stood up, still trembling, and left through the door.

Rekenber scratched behind his ear and addressed the assassin. "What do you think about this Guile?" The assassin, whose eyes followed Lighthal through the door, turned to face Rekenber and said, "I'm just thoroughly shocked from what I found out about their research. By the way you didn't have to be so hard on Lighthal; I don't think it was him who spearheaded this research."

"Hard on him?" repeated Rekenber. "You're the one who was glaring at him like you were going to kill him." Rekenber took the notes left behind by Lighthal and handed them to the assassin. "You hold on to this for a while. Oh by the way, Lighthal's lab is already ours, I think you better go down there and check on things. Oh and find that little swordsman girl…" Rekenber looked at the picture of the swordsman for a few seconds. "Believe it or not, I genuinely care for the victims of…"

"Your victims?" interrupted the assassin. Rekenber looked dumbfounded for a second before laughing and saying, "Good one Guile. Well go get your party or whatever and scour the laboratory for incriminating evidence of Life Experimentation." The assassin nodded and left through the door. Rekenber sighed before saying to himself, "Eremes Guile… You had better watch your words."

* * *

With Lighthal's inhumane research discovered, Rekenber Corporation now had the Lighthal Laboratory within their grasp. Eremes Guile, along with a group of other adventurers, were given the task of escorting the laboratory's researchers out and to find any evidence of the research Eremes had found.

Eremes and a knight burst through the front doors of the laboratory, much to the surprise of several scientists. He immediately commanded them to vacate the premises. One of the scientists however, objected, prompting Eremes to drag him out by the collar of his lab coat.

"What are you doing?" screamed the scientist as Eremes pushed him out of the front doors.

"Answer me. Where are you keeping the test subject of your horrific experiment?" asked Eremes in a dangerous voice. A knight tapped Eremes's shoulder and told him, "Don't frighten them."

Eremes brushed off his hand and said, "I'm just trying to find out what we need to know as soon as possible." Eremes faced the scientist once more. "Where is she? The lady swordsman?" he asked in a relatively less threatening voice. The scientist trembled as he answered. "S-She's… at the second level. In one of the prison cells…"

"Prison cells?"

Eremes pushed the scientist aside and sprinted through the entrance hallway of the facility. The knight mounted his Pecopeco and went after him. When Eremes reached the second level, he stopped suddenly, horrified at what he saw. Prison cells, like the ones seen in jail houses, lined the hallways. "This is where they keep their test subjects?" cried Eremes. "This is inhuman!" Fearing at what he may find, he walked along the hallway checking each cell carefully. The knight finally caught up with him and said, "Eremes wait up! The others didn't even get here yet!" However when the knight saw inside one of the prison cells, he fell of his mount, saying, "No…" There was blood. Clearly distinct blood was spattered on the wall.

"Seyren," said Eremes quietly. "Can you check along the other way? We'll find her faster… if we split up." The knight slowly got up and solemnly nodded. He remounted his Pecopeco and slowly trotted off into the opposite direction. Eremes continued his slow survey of the horrible place. The atmosphere was absolutely tense. After their discovery of blood in one of the cells, nothing else seemed to matter. Eremes stopped before reaching the last cell. Fear spread throughout his mind as he wiped a drop of sweat that trickled on his forehead. He breathed deeply and peeked into the last cell.

It was horrifying. The body of a blue-haired female swordsman was sprawled facedown on the floor, on a pool of blood. Eremes knew at once she was Egnigem Cenia, the swordsman he saw on the research papers. Her wrists were bound together by a pair of blood-stained handcuffs. Eremes gasped and lifted Egnigem up. She was breathing but only just. He called out to Seyren, "Seyren! Seyren! Get Margaretha! Hurry!" When there was no response, Eremes cursed under his breath and tried to revive Egnigem. He tried cutting through the handcuffs with a dagger.

"Don't die on me…"

Egnigem opened her eyes a fraction and watched Eremes's efforts. Eremes noticed that she was looking at him and told her, "You're alive… It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay..." Egnigem trembled slightly, her breathing labored. "Damn it… where are you Seyren?" He dared not leave Egnigem to get help but she was hurt too badly to be carried. He frantically tried to think of a solution as he looked at Egnigem's face once more. She had a look of childlike innocence that stirred up something inside Eremes, reinforcing his desire to want to save her. Before he could do anything else however, Egnigem spoke in a very weak voice that shattered Eremes train of thought.

"I don't want to die."

Egnigem closed her eyes and stopped trembling. Eremes had a strange look in his eyes. An assassin, trained to kill, had to hide his emotions. He mustn't feel sorrow. He mustn't feel grief. And yet, as he looked upon the now lifeless body of a swordsman he never knew, he felt a feeling that he thought he had lost a long time ago. He quietly cried; a river of tears streaming down his face and silent sobs that couldn't be heard but could felt filled the hallway. He gently lifted up the swordsman and carried her out of the cell. A priestess came running towards him as he came out. She stopped short at seeing the body, but then she regained herself and said, "Eremes… I'm sorry… if only…"

"There was nothing you could've done Margaretha," said Eremes quietly. "Nothing any of us could've done…"

Tears streamed down Margaretha's face as Eremes laid down Egnigem on a clean bed in another cell away from the bloody mess that was her cell. Margaretha stood over the body and continued crying quietly.

Eremes gathered his strength and faced Margaretha. "I'll go and find Seyren… can you watch over her until I get back?" Margaretha nodded quietly without looking away from Egnigem and Eremes left without taking another look. He made his way to the opposite hallway were Seyren headed off to, and found him just standing next to his mount at the intersection of another hallway. Eremes called out to him.

"Seyren!"

The knight looked at him. His expression was hard to read. He then looked back at the other hallway. Eremes, fearing the worst, approached Seyren slowly. When he was standing next to Seyren, Eremes steeled himself and faced the direction Seyren was facing. It took him a lot of effort not to vomit.

It seems that Egnigem wasn't the only victim of this terrible research…


	2. Chapter 2 A Party of Six

Two years had passed since the repossession of the Lighthal Laboratory by Rekenber Corporation. During this time, Rekenber bought all nearby villages, big and small, and began the construction of a city. Though the city has not yet completed construction, there were already many houses and buildings surrounding the laboratory. But the biggest one was none other than the Rekenber Corporation Headquarters, the new center of activity of the corporation, which was built in the central district of the city. Nearby was the Rekenber Hotel, were adventurers staying at the city spent most of their time.

"Eremes, you haven't touched your drink," said the priestess Margaretha. "What's wrong?"

Eremes and his friends were staying at the Rekenber Hotel Café. It has been two years since the raid at the Lighthal Laboratory, but the assassin's experience there had left him quite shaken until now.

"Nothing's wrong Margaretha," lied Eremes. "I'm just… not thirsty."

Seyren, who was seated at another table with a huntress and a blacksmith, looked at Eremes and said, "Are you still thinking about that day?"

"…I just can't seem to get it out of my mind."

The blacksmith leaned over and punched Eremes at the shoulder. "Maybe all you need is to have some fun! The café becomes a bar every night, want to grab some drinks later?"

Margaretha scowled and said, "Howard, you know Eremes doesn't drink!"

Howard shrugged and replied, "I'm just trying to help the guy lighten up. Come on man! We haven't had any real fun in years!"

Eremes got up and said, "I need to go to the bathroom." He shuffled off into another part of the café.

Howard took a sip from his drink and said, "Man, guy's got some serious issues." He looked at Seyren and said, "By the way, blame me for being asleep at the time, but I never did find out what happened at the lab. Care to share?" Margaretha tapped Howard and brought a finger in front of her lips. Before Howard could object, Seyren said, "Its okay Margaretha, they all have to find out sooner or later." At this statement, the wizard seated next to Margaretha leaned forward to pay more attention.

Seyren looked at his glass as he began talking, "Well, just to recap a bit, every one of us except Kathryne and Howard were there at the lab two years ago." The others nodded in agreement except for Howard who scratched behind his head. Seyren continued. "Well Eremes's look made me feel kind of uneasy as he handed me some notes he got from the facility… my fears were confirmed as I looked through the notes. Life Experimentation. It's some sort of taboo research at the laboratory, but a couple of scientists apparently conducted it under Lighthal's nose… Anyway, it'll take too long to discuss everything that was written on the notes. So skipping ahead, me, Eremes, Margaretha and Cecil went to the lab to rescue the test subject used for the research."

"You mean that pretty blue-haired swordsman you showed us in a picture some time ago?" asked Howard. Seyren nodded. "Man if I was there, I would've…" Howard fell silent at the look on Kathryne's face, causing him to shut up and gesture at Seyren to continue the story.

"Well… the test subject was said to be kept in a prison cell, so Eremes hurried off to find her and I wasn't far behind. Margaretha and Cecil helped escort the scientist out of the lab so it was only the two of us at the second level."

"Let me continue Seyren."

Seyren looked surprised at Margaretha's interruption but then nodded.

"I had a really bad feeling when Eremes rushed inside," began Margaretha. "So I tried to follow him as fast as I could… and when I found him, he was cradling the poor girl in his arms…" The entire group fell silent for a while. The only sounds heard for a while were the tinkling of glass cups and incessant chatter from the other customers in the café.

"She was dead… if I had gotten there earlier… I could've…" Her eyes began to water.

"That's enough Margaretha… don't blame yourself for her death," interrupted Seyren. "We failed to save Egnigem, the swordsman. Eremes didn't seem right after witnessing her death. I don't know why… she was a stranger to him. Anyway, I wasn't there with Eremes when he found her. I found… something even more horrible."

Margaretha wiped here eyes then said, "What? You and Eremes never told me about something you found other than Egnigem…"

Seyren lowered his head in shame. "Forgive me Margaretha… I just didn't want you to see what me and Eremes saw… It was too horrible."

"So what did you see?"

"…Eremes found only some of the notes pertaining to the subjects of the experiment…" Margaretha held her hand over her mouth as she realized where Seyren's story was going. "There wasn't just one test subject. The scientist captured an entire party of youthful adventurers… Probably just greenhorns then, along with Egnigem. I… don't want to describe their condition when we found them… all I have to say was… those researchers never treated their test subjects as human beings."

Cecil, the huntress, who was silent for the whole story, suddenly spoke up. "I know one of those adventurers… one of them, that Kavach Icarus… I saw him once in Payon. Back when I was an archer. He was just a little kid then… he told me that he wanted to be like me someday…" Cecil looked away before anyone could get a good look on her face. "Margaretha wasn't there of course… but I offered to carry little Kavach out…"

Kathryn also spoke up, "I'm sorry about not being there to help you guys… I was looking for Weinder… I was supposed to mentor him back at the academy." Her face was downcast as she continued, "Imagine my shock when his body was brought back from Lightal Laboratory…"

The group fell silent once more. After a few minutes Howard said, "You know guys… No wait listen… I know you've been through a lot… and I'm sorry again that I wasn't there too… but what's past is past. Lighthal Laboratory is now under Rekenber, and I'm sure that horrible research will be erased from record. What happened two years ago won't ever happen again, right?"

Seyren looked at Howard intently. For a while, Howard thought that the knight was going to hit him on the head but then Seyren laughed.

"He's right you know," said Seyren, addressing the others. "Two years have gone. Nothing horrible has happened since then. We're off-duty and we're in a hotel! We should be having fun or relaxing…"

Howard nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Let's party!" He ran off to speak with the bartender to make preparations.

"You know Howard's on good terms with every bartender we've come across," commented Kathryn, who watched Howard talk excitedly in front of the grinning bartender. "He has already initiated… two, three…"

"Six parties actually," finished Margaretha. "One for every city around Rune-Midgard. Excluding Comodo of course. There's always a party there."

"Yeah well, I'm gonna go get another drink." Seyren stood up and stretched his arms. "By the way, Eremes sure is taking a long time in the bathroom. Wait here he comes now…"

Indeed, Eremes was already slowly making his way across the cafe towards the table were the group was staying at. He had a strange look in his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Seyren as Eremes arrived.

"I've got some news… from Rekenber. He has work for us."

"WHAT?" shouted Howard from in front of the bar. "But were supposed to party… why now? Damn you Rekenber!"

"Keep your voice down Howard," said Eremes. "We don't want to incriminate ourselves against Rekenber. I'll explain the details along the way," he turned to the others who were behind him. "Come on, we've got work to do."


	3. Chapter 3 Rekenber's Task

In time, the great city built by the Rekenber Corporation was completed. The once wild valley where the city now stood has been completely urbanized. The grassy soil replaced with granite. Where trees once stood there are now buildings five times as tall. The laboratory was left standing in a guarded location, where what little trace of the wildness of the valley was left. Soon people immigrated into the city and the city flourished with activity. The largest building, the headquarters of the Rekenber Corporation, is probably the first building seen by arriving immigrants, for it towered above the rest. Proud Rekenber named the great city Lighthalzen as homage to the great scientist who founded the laboratory. Lighthal seemed not to approve of this. He stayed during the city's construction mostly in hiding but he left after the city was completed and named, claiming never to return.

Rekenber continued all halted research in the Lighthal Laboratory. Many various technological breakthroughs were made like the building of the steam engine, leading to the first airship. The introduction of the airship revolutionized the way people travelled around regions in Rune-Midgard. Lighthalzen thus became the center of technology and commerce in the Schwartzwald Republic.

The advancement of the city did not owe itself to the corporation alone however, for many adventurers had volunteered to help in various tasks around the city. The most notable are the efforts of Seyren the knight, Eremes the assassin, Margaretha the priestess, Howard the blacksmith, Cecil the huntress, and Kathryne the wizard. Ranging from cleanup operations around the city to the discovery of the hidden city of Juperos, this group of adventurers, who had worked for the Rekenber Corporation even before Lighthalzen was built, had indeed lent a hand to the advancement of the city.

At the highest floor of the headquarters of Rekenber Corp., Rekenber was personally thanking this group of adventurers. They were all seated around the table, with Rekenber seated at the end of the table with Eremes and Seyren seated at either side of him. He raised a glass of wine before speaking.

"I know we've been off with a rather shaky start but now the city is complete!" said Rekenber with a smile on his face. He emptied his glass and gave a satisfied gasp. "You have been here for the corporation almost from the get-go so I want to reward you…"

Howard raised his head and gazed excitedly at Rekenber, who immediately noticed and chuckled. "No Alt-Sein, it isn't a party. Your free to throw one yourself after this meeting though." Howard nodded vigorously in an exceedingly childish manner, causing Kathryne who was seated next to him to sigh.

"Anyway, I'm going to let you guys in on a secret. Listen carefully."

The adventurers all leaned closer to listen, with the exception of Eremes, who was leaning against his chair and looking at Rekenber in an almost bored way.

"How long was it? Three years when we began constructing Lighthalzen… Anyway, around halfway through the construction, our scientists finished the prototype steam engine. With that, we built the official first airship, though it was a lot smaller than the public one used today. Me and a couple of business associated used it to travel to Juno, marking the airship as a success. We decided to finish building the city before releasing airship service to the public so there…"

"Get to the point already," interrupted Eremes in a bored tone. He didn't bother to stifle his yawn when Rekenber looked at him in a rather offended way. "I was merely giving out some interesting details… But fine I'll get the point."

"Have you heard of the Heart of Ymir?" asked Rekenber. His gaze swept around the table and caught Kathryne raising her hand. "Kathryne, you're not at the academy anymore so you don't need to raise your hand… but carry on."

Kathryne looked embarrassed for a moment as she lowered her hand but answered confidently. "I heard about the Heart of Ymir… I think it was recently found beneath Juno. It's supposed to be a link to Valhalla right?"

"Well I can't be too sure," replied Rekenber. "But that seems to be the case. The guys who found it couldn't explain it well either… Anyway, they charge a fee for anyone who wants to visit the Heart so uh… Well I want you guys to go check it out. I paid for your admission so just let me know when you want to leave." He looked carefully at Eremes, as though expecting a retort. When he didn't receive any, he turned to Seyren who said in a thoughtful voice, "Sounds interesting. Anyone up to check things out underneath Juno?" Everyone else nodded, leaving Rekenber with a satisfied smile since even Eremes nodded without question. Before he could be sure of himself however, Seyren asked a question.

"How will this little trip underneath Juno help the corporation anyway?"

Rekenber shrugged and replied, "You tell me. It's a risky investment but I'm curious about the secrets of the Heart of Ymir."

"Wait a minute, you said that that is our reward!" exclaimed Howard who stood up as he spoke. "How is another job a reward?"

"Think about it, a trip to Valhalla! If the link is indeed true, many wonders await you," replied Rekenber. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity you know?"

"You know Rekenber, I never pegged you as someone who believed in the gods," said Cecil, finally speaking. Rekenber brushed off her comment, saying, "Regardless of whether or not the Heart's link with Valhalla is true, you all shall be compensated handsomely."

After he was finished talking, he got up and made his way to the door. "I'm going to get something. I'll trust that you'll think about it thoroughly while I'm gone." As he closed the door behind him, everyone else in the room started talking with each other.

Kathryne was excitedly conversing with Cecil who was seated across from her. "I can't believe it… The Heart of Ymir! I heard it's the thing that keeps Juno afloat…" Cecil shrugged and replied, "Like Rekenber said, no one can be too sure. But Valhalla… sounds like a really exciting place to go to."

From across the table, Howard was positively talking Seyren's ear off. "Yeah, we could party all day in Valhalla and never stop eating and drinking! Sounds like the place for me! ...Uh that's what people do in Valhalla right? Actually... what was a Valhalla again...?" Seyren shook his head as he tried to calm Howard down. But across from Seyren, Eremes was quietly thinking.

"Valhalla… Rebirth…?"

Margaretha took notice of Eremes's thoughtful expression and asked him, "Is something the matter?" Eremes shook his head and replied, "Nothing's wrong…" Eremes stood up. "Well I'm going… You guys are going to go right?" he asked.

Seyren nodded and answered, "Yup. So it's settled." He stood up and addressed the others. "We take the first airship to Juno. We can talk about things further there." One by one, the adventurers left the room. Howard was last to leave and in his excitement he left the door open. As the sound of their footsteps faded away from the hallway, Rekenber appeared from behind the door, closed it and leaned against it. He took out a bunch of notes from his pocket and skimmed through it.

"Well what do we have here?" he said suddenly. He pocketed the notes and walked away from the door. "Eremes Guile my friend, there's more to you than meets the eye."


	4. Chapter 4 Welcome to Juno

Juno was the first city to be discovered in the Schwartzwald Republic; a great city in the sky kept aloft by magic. One of the notable places here is the Juno Library, home of ancient knowledge from time immemorial.

A shadow appeared at the airship docks; another airship has arrived from Lighthalzen. Juno is the checkpoint between the different cities in the Schwartzwald Republic so this city has the most airship activity. Many people who came from different places hustled and bustled around the waiting area. One particular knight was caught in the middle of the crowd and was trying to push his way out of the waiting area.

"Pardon… excuse me," said Seyren as an elderly woman bumped into him. He carefully edged his way through a group of tourists with a lot of baggage. When he finally reached the waiting area, he panted for air as he bent over clutching his knees. "Man… I nearly forgot how crowded the docks were here in Juno," he said to himself.

"You're late!" shouted someone. When Seyren stood up to see where the shout came from he saw Cecil and Howard waving at him from in front of the nearby inn.

"Sorry… Got lost back there when we were walking… but uh… where are the others?" asked Seyren as he approached the other two.

"Margaretha's inside getting us our rooms," replied Cecil as she threw a suitcase at Seyren, knocking him down. "Why don't you be a gentleman and carry our stuff up?" She went through the front door of the inn and closed it behind her. Howard whistled as he helped Seyren up. "Think it would have been nice if she left the door open for us eh?" Howard picked up some more of the luggage and hurled it at Seyren, effectively knocking him against the building next to the inn. "Ouch!" Howard winced as he looked at Seyren's totally battered form. He quietly opened the door to the inn and said, "I'll tell Margaretha to patch you up… I'll be right back…" Seyren managed a grunt to which Howard nodded at before closing the door.

Inside, Margaretha was standing in front of the information desk and Cecil was seated on a chair next to the desk. She looked up as Howard entered the room. "Hey, you're supposed to take up the luggage with Seyren. Where is he?" asked Cecil. "About that," began Howard. "Margaretha can I have a mo-"

"Have you seen Eremes? He's run off again. I can't believe him!" said Margaretha suddenly as she handed a room key to Howard.

"Uh, Margaretha? I have something to-"

"It's been a long time since we've been in Juno. I mean sure, we always pass through the docks on the way to Lighthalzen but still…"

"Margaretha? There's something you need to-"

"For once I hope that he could at least tell us where he goes before he runs off… Ooh when I next see him I'll tell him that!"

"Margaretha-"

"He'd better not be doing any funny business like when we went to that laboratory…"

"Hey Margaretha," interrupted Cecil who was peering out the window. "Seyren's outside. I think he could use your help."

"What? Why didn't you tell me about that Howard?" asked Margaretha. Howard merely shook his head and answered, "Listen can you just patch him up… I'm getting kinda tired."

"Well excuse me!" said Margaretha angrily as she stormed out of the inn. Howard scratched his head and then looked out the window with Cecil.

"What's gotten into her? I know I can get super loud during a party but Margaretha's the quiet type…" asked Howard as he saw Margaretha furiously remove the luggage piled on top of Seyren.

Cecil shrugged. "Like she said, Eremes has run off again. He's always running around you know. I don't know why Margaretha always worries that much about him."

Howard grinned as he said, "Could it be_ love_…?"

Cecil smacked Howard at the back of his head before saying, "Shut up Howard." As Howard rubbed the back of his head, Cecil thought for a moment before speaking again. "But she does tend to be overly motherly over him… or sisterly? I don't know…"

"Well she doesn't have to be so mad about it," said Howard as he saw Margaretha accidentally punch Seyren as she attempted to heal him. "Poor Seyren… maybe we oughta go out and help him before she kills him."

"For once we agree…"

The two of them exited the inn to help Seyren. As the door closed behind them, Howard asked, "So where's Kathryne?"

* * *

The Sage Academy. Aspiring sages come here to study and prepare a thesis paper in order to become sages. Because of the sages' never ending pursuit for knowledge, a great library is found here, rivaling the Juno Library in content. At a table somewhere in the library, a wizard was busily poring over some ancient tomes.

"Wow… I never thought about it that way," said Kathryne as she closed the tome and placed it on top of a neat pile of seven other tomes. She leaned back and stretched her arms. "It's been two whole hours already… and I've only read eight tomes. I'm losing my touch." She looked around her and saw several mages seated around a table, each holding a thesis paper. She smiled. "Haha… This is what's like in the sage academy huh? Maybe I should send my students here…" At the corner of her eye, she saw a rather peculiar sight. Eremes was seated several tables away from her, at a rather lonely corner. She stood up and approached him.

Eremes was quietly reading a small book. Kathryne cautiously walked around Eremes until she was directly behind him before peering over his shoulder. She gasped as she realized that it was not a book but an album. Her gasp was heard however and Eremes started, closed the album and looked behind him.

"H-How long were you standing there?" he asked.

Kathryne sat beside him before replying. "Long enough… Can I please see your album? I already have an idea what's inside." For a moment, Eremes looked hesitant. Seeing Kathryne's pleading expression however made him reconsider. He sighed before nodding and handing her the album. She opened it and saw at the front page a picture of their entire party in front of the inn at Prontera. She took notice how everyone was smiling, including Eremes.

"To be honest Eremes, I really can't remember the last time I saw you smile like this," said Kathryne. Eremes remained silent however so Kathryne continued to flip through the album. The album contained mostly pictures of their groups in various places, but Kathryne was searching for one particular picture.

"Is this… who I think it is?"

Somewhere in the middle of the album was a picture of Eremes, before he became an assassin, standing next to a little girl. The little girl had the same blue hair as Eremes had.

Eremes nodded. "I haven't seen her… since I left home. When I started working for the Thief's Guild, I no longer had time to be with my family."

"Family… so she's… your little sister?"

"Yes… to be more precise, half-sister. We had different fathers. My dad… he died sometime after I was five or six years old I think. I can't remember how… I'd rather not think about it actually. Anyway, my mom remarried and she had her," said Eremes, pointing at the blue-haired little girl on the picture. "…When I became an assassin, I received news that my mother died from an illness. I should've been there… I could've done something." He stopped talking for a while to recollect his thoughts. Kathryne gave him a few minutes before talking.

"…That blue-haired swordsman Margaretha was referring to during our lab cleanup operation… that was her?"

"I-I couldn't believe it. I thought my little sister had vanished since my mom's death. Then, I find her picture on some research notes in Lighthal Laboratory. I knew something had happened to her…" He slammed the album shut, causing the mages nearby who were working on there theses to flinch. "I should've gone down there before telling Rekenber… then maybe, I could've…" He trailed off into silence. Kathryne stood up.

"It isn't your fault you know… you had to tell Rekenber about the situation before acting, otherwise you could've been arrested."

"…I wish there was something I could do. I have no family left."

Kathryne sighed. "Stop getting all emotional on me okay? It's been years, years and you still haven't realized you still have a family. Me, Seyren, everyone. We're family right?"

"Family…" repeated Eremes. "I… You…"

"Listen, I know you've been through a lot, but what's past is past. Don't beat yourself up." She patted Eremes on the shoulder. "Let's go back to the inn. Everyone's waiting."

Eremes nodded. He stood up and placed the album inside his cloak. As they began to walk however, Eremes stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" asked Kathryne.

"Can you… not tell the others about this? At least not now? I want to think about this more."

"Okay fine, but I want you to be the one to tell them when the time comes."

Eremes smiled a smile that Kathryne thought was lost forever. She took Eremes by the hand and ran with him out of the Sage Academy and towards the inn.

* * *

"Where have you been?"

Margaretha's voice was very angry. In front of her were Eremes and Kathryne, who both looked very puzzled at Margaretha's mood.

"What's gotten into her?" whispered Kathryne to Eremes. Eremes shrugged.

"While you two weren't here, Seyren had an accident! If you two were here, we could've avoided that!"

"How is our presence here supposed to prevent Seyren from getting hurt?" whispered Kathryne to Eremes. Eremes shrugged once again.

"Why is your face so close to his? No… Is that what I think it is?"

"N-No! It's nothing like that…" Eremes began to explain.

"I'm listening!"

Eremes looked dumbfounded. His eyes swept around the room, seeking help. Seyren was seated at a corner with ice on his head. Howard was hiding behind the couch, shaking his head as Eremes's eyes found him. Cecil was outside, looking at the scene from the window. Eremes stopped looking around and faced Margaretha once more. Lost for words, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Do you… want to go out with me Margaretha?"

At this, Seyren, who was barely conscious, suddenly jerked into awareness. Howard nearly knocked over the couch. Cecil stumbled against the windowsill. Kathryne, mouth open, looked from Eremes then to Margaretha. Margaretha's angry expression turned into a blush.

"W-Why… why sure… Sure."

Margaretha sat down on a nearby chair.

"When…?

"Uh, after we find the Heart of Ymir…" said Eremes who was speaking quickly without really thinking. Margaretha giggled.

"Okay! Well guys, here are your keys!" She handed a key to everyone except Howard, who already had his. "Howard, be a dear and carry our luggage upstairs." Howard quickly obeyed. He picked up the entire luggage as though it was nothing and went up the stairs.

"Cecil? Can you escort poor Seyren to his room? I'll heal him later…"

Cecil nodded and lifted Seyren off his chair. As she helped him up the stairs, the two of them peered down at Eremes, who gave a nervous grin at them.

When only Eremes, Margaretha and Kathryne were left, there was a rather awkward silence. Kathryne closed her mouth.

"Well uh… I think I'll leave you two alone now…"

"Oh there's plenty of time for that!" said Margaretha as she grabbed Kathryne's arm. She winked at Eremes before pulling Kathryne up the stairs. Kathryne looked really confused at what was happening and did not resist.

When Eremes was all alone, he thought a bit and realized what just happened.

"What did I get myself into?"

He shook his head and went up the stairs to his room. Inside were three beds. Howard was seated on the first one next to a wall while Seyren was lying down facing the wall on the second bed. Howard looked up as Eremes entered.

"Way to go dude! I thought nothing would ever calm her down!"

"Uh…"

Seyren looked over his shoulder. "But seriously, _you_ going out with Margaretha? Thought this day wouldn't come."

"I told Cecil it was love!" exclaimed Howard. Eremes punched him, knocking him onto his bed. "Ouch!"

"I really need to think more before talking…" He took off his cloak, armor and bandages and placed them on the desk next to his bed. He lay down on his bed and pulled the covers over him.

"I'm going to sleep. Before Margaretha comes back to heal Seyren."

"Eremes and Margaretha sitting on a tree…"

"Howard, you do know I've got a number of ways to poison you. In your sleep. Your food. You don't want that to happen do you?"

"Okay fine…"

Eremes smirked to himself before letting consciousness slip away from him.


	5. Chapter 5 An Assassin's Memories

Took a while. I present Chapter 5! Finals this week, I'll update around Saturday.

* * *

Eremes was walking, walking across a hallway. The only light that lit his way was the bloody crimson rays of emergency light bulbs. The light was not so bright yet it hurts his eyes. The light made him uneasy but there was no darkness where he can disappear into.

The walls and the floor were of cold metal, and for each step he took a resounding clang can be heard. It was strange for him… even if he took a careful step it will still be heard all around him.

The ceiling… Eremes could only see a dark abyss above him, barely reached by the blinding red light. Though Eremes knew the darkness well, the abyss he saw is not something he knows. He lowered his gaze.

He rounded a corner and soon the hallway was lined with prison cells. He dared not look in any of them, but kept on walking. His imagination was working on overdrive. What could be behind those bars? An assassin is always close with death but...

A dead end. Eremes stopped walking. He looked down. Even in the blinding crimson light, he knew immediately what he saw. Blood. The red fluid was distinct on the cold floor. It was trailing from the last cell. Another step. Breathe deeply. He steeled himself and looked inside.

Eremes was staring at blood; a trickle of blood was coming from his index finger on his left hand. Feeling suddenly crept through his right hand. He was holding a knife. Not like the dagger he usually kept inside his cloak, just a plain kitchen knife. He was standing next to a countertop. He looked from the cut on his finger downwards. The blood was dripping on the floor. The floor was not of metal. He looked around. So were the walls and the ceiling. Everything looked familiar to him. Then he realized something.

He was home.

He was back at Morocc. He was not standing in front of a pool of blood in a corridor bathed in crimson light. He was at home, in the kitchen, chopping vegetables. The blood he saw was only that from the cut he gave himself.

A voice. A familiar voice was coming from outside the kitchen. Eremes knew that voice well. He put down his knife and looked out the window. He saw a tall blue-haired man speaking with a woman, right at there front door. He recognized the woman as his mother. But if that is so… then that man must be…

"Big brother!"

He spun around. He saw a little blue-haired girl standing at the doorway. She looked like she just woke up. She approached him waving a roll of bandages.

"Big brother, you cut yourself again. I heard you shout from over there…"

She took Eremes' left hand and gently wrapped a bandage around it. Eremes was didn't know what to say. He couldn't remember his sister back when they were younger…

He suddenly realized he was not dressed like an assassin. He was wearing his clothing back when he was a thief. Before he could think further however, his sister hugged him tightly.

"Big brother…" she said tearfully. "Are you really going to go away…?"

He suddenly remembered. Today was the day he left home to work for the Thief's Guild. He looked down at his sister's tearful eyes. He stroked her short blue hair. He couldn't remember how short his sister's hair was before she…

"Hush now, you still have mom and dad don't you?" said Eremes reassuringly. His sister cried harder as she buried her face on his chest.

"Wait a minute."

He remembered that that fateful day, when he was about to leave home, something terribly wrong happened. But what? Fearing the worst, he gently extricated his sister from his chest and proceeded to meet with his parents at the front door. Before he got there however, all he saw was his mother, crying silent tears, seated at the living room. No, he thought.

He ran out the front door, but stopped suddenly, coughing from the dust kicked up by a Pecopeco. He could only barely make out the figure of a man riding away before having to close his eyes from the dust.

When he reopened his eyes, he was no longer in his old house. He was standing in a darkened area behind a building, right under a tree. He was not staring at his father abandoning his family. Not at the tearful eyes of his mother and sister. He was staring at the back of a young blue-haired girl standing in front of a rather large building. When he took a good look at the building, he realized that it was the Swordsman's Guild. He was at Izlude. Then that must mean…

"Egnigem! Is that you?" called out Eremes. The girl did not respond however, but proceeded into the Guild. Determined not to lose her, he ran after her. He realized that he was wearing assassin gear once more as he ran.

He entered the guild and saw the girl enter the room to the left of the front desk. He followed her. He slipped past the guard and followed the young girl to a dark tunnel.

"What is this place?" asked Eremes quietly to himself. A dark tunnel. The only light around was that of a torch on the wall. No light at the end. The way behind him was closed. He was alone here with the young girl. He approached her, determined to figure out her identity. As he reached out to tap her back however, the girl grabbed the torch next to her and quickly proceeded along the hallway. She was walking, walking away from him. Into the darkness.

"Egnigem…"

The pool of blood once more. A corridor lit in crimson. His right hand was just grasping the very edge of the last room. He shook his head, his face dripping with sweat. He closed his eyes once more.

He reopened them. He was standing inside his old house in Morocc. But this time it was not daylight. His finger was not bleeding. The house was dark. A small ray of light was coming from a crack on a door in just a few paces in front of him. He peered inside.

A middle-aged woman, looking sickly, was lying on a bed in the far side of the room. A young blue-haired female swordsman was kneeling next to her speaking softly. Eremes strained to listen.

"Mom, please don't leave me all alone…" whispered the young girl. She sounded like she was fighting back tears. Her mother coughed before speaking back to her.

"You still… have your brother… right?" she asked.

"He's been gone for a long time… I don't even know if he's ever going to come back…"

Eremes shifted uncomfortably yet did not do anything.

"Your brother… is really busy… isn't he?"

"Too busy to have time for his family!" The sudden outburst of the girl caused Eremes too lose his grip, opening the door completely. Before the other two could look at the door however, Eremes was already hidden in the shadows outside. He crept outside and then sidled next to the bedroom window. As he sat down to relax a bit, he heard the girl speak inside the bedroom.

"…For a second… I thought that was big brother," she said sadly. Eremes breathed deeply and stood up to listen more carefully. "Has he really left us mom? Does he even remember us?"

"I remember you…" whispered Eremes.

"Does he still love us?"

"I still love you…"

"If he does, then why won't he come home?"

Eremes became completely still for a moment. Why won't he show himself? Does he have anything to be ashamed of? He tried raising his head over the windowsill to get a better look inside. No, they might see you. But why is he afraid to show his face? Why does his hand freeze when he's about to reach out to his family? What happened to him?

"Egnigem…" said the mother in a soft voice. "Your brother… he has his reasons. As does your father… when he left us…"

"They abandoned us," said Egnigem coldly.

Eremes closed his eyes. He had to recollect his thoughts. I did not abandon you, he thought. I just…

A pool of blood. Not again. The crimson light had already burned into his eyes. The pool of blood became darker every minute he looked at it. His grip on the edge of the room was slackening. What is this feeling?

Way back then, when he charged into the Lighthal Laboratory, he did not have this feeling. What is this feeling? When he cradled his sister's… his sister. Eremes can't bear the thought. He dared not close his eyes for fear of seeing another horrible memory of his life. Memories? This all truly happened?

He had enough. He wanted to end the nightmare. He strengthened his gripped and pulled himself into the room. Is his sister…?

A body. A shock of blue hair. No, not his sister. Not the body of a young female swordsman. Not the body of a girl named Egnigem Cenia. Yet, a shock of blue hair. Is that…?

A body, wallowing in a pool of blood. Blue hair. A dark cloak. No… it can't be…

He closed his eyes. Please let the nightmare end, he thought.

* * *

Eremes opened his eyes. He was lying on a bed. He looked around. Seyren was sleeping quietly to the right, his back towards Eremes. Howard was lying on the floor, having fallen from the bed to the left. He was snoring loudly.

It was all a dream, thought Eremes.

Was it?

He ran his fingers though his hair. The nightmare had ended years ago… why is it here now? He was depressed, depressed at his sister's death. Depressed at his mother's death. Depressed at his father's death; his stepfather's abandonment.

Wait.

He did not see his dad. His real dad. Hadn't he died because of Eremes's failure to do something? Eremes blinked. The room did not change. He tried picturing his dad in his mind. Blue hair? His mom's hair was red… so his hair had to be from his dad. A stern face. He knew that face well. But what else about his dad does he need to remember?

Howard was lying on the floor, snoring away. Eremes considered placing a pillow over Howard's face to quiet him but decided against it. He can't concentrate. He needed to go out. He removed the covers, got up, put on his gear, and opened the curtain of the nearest window. The rays of the bright morning sun poured into the room and right into Howard's face. Howard snorted and got up, wiping his eyes. He squinted and saw Eremes about to get out the window. His foot was already on the windowsill.

"Hey Eremes!"

"Huh? You're awake…" Eremes placed his foot back on the floor. "I was about to go out…"

"And run off again?" Howard got up. "Listen, after calming down Margaretha down after that kind of rage I think you shouldn't make her start up again."

"Right…"

Eremes closed the window. He had to do this some other time. His dad…

"Wake Seyren up okay? I'm gonna go check with breakfast."

Eremes nodded. Howard yawned and stretched his arms before leaving the room. Eremes sat on his bed, thinking deeply… He can't keep this all to himself.

"Kathryne already knows part of the story… I guess I'll just have to tell her…" he thought. He got up and shook Seyren awake.

"Meh?" murmured Seyren as he opened his eyes slowly.

"Get up man, today, we're going to head to Sage Academy remember? Better get up early."

"Yeah yeah… Sheesh. Give me a break, I received a severe beating yesterday remember?"

Eremes chuckled. "Okay, I'll go ahead. You come down soon." He turned around and left the room. As he went down the stairs, he wondered when he should talk to Kathryne…


	6. Chapter 6 The Sage Academy

After breakfast, the party immediately headed for the Sage Academy, east from the inn. As the part reached the front steps, they were greeted by a scholarly-looking attendant. He surveyed each one of them carefully through his eyeglasses before proceeding to shake Seyren's hand.

"Welcome to the Juno Sage Academy," greeted the attendant with a smile. "You must be the adventurers sent by the Rekenber Corporation. The headmaster is inside. Allow me to escort you to him."

The attendant led the part through the magnificent wooden double-doors to an elegant stone hallway. At the end of the hallway, the path widened, revealing rows upon rows of bookshelves. Margaretha looked around in amazement. "I've never seen so many books before!" she exclaimed. The attendant nodded and said, "The Sage Academy provides the greatest amount of literature to help further the studies of our students. Our book content is rivalled only by the, more open to the public, Juno Library across the city."

"The library in the Geffen Mage Academy has got nothing compared to this," answered Kathryne. "I was here yesterday you know. I'm glad that I got the chance to come here!"

"Meh, books," said Howard glumly, shaking his head. "Gives me a headache. Can we see the headmaster soon? I might die of boredom here." Cecil smacked him at the back of the head. "H-Hey! That hurt you know, stop doing that!" Cecil replied, "Stop being such a whiny little brat then."

The attendant chuckled at the scene the party was making but he intervened before Howard could retort. "Kindly keep your voices down please," he requested. "We are approaching the thesis section of the library. We do not want to disturb the students."

The party quieted down as they were led by the attendant across tables where several young mages were working. They climbed up a flight of stairs and then walked past another elegant hallway, stopping before an old-looking door. The attendant faced the party and announced, "This is the headmaster's office. I would introduce you myself, but I have errands to do. Apologies, truly." He bowed before walking back through the previous hallway and out of sight. Seyren approached the door, carefully grasped the old doorknob, and pulled.

Inside was a strange-looking office. It seemed to have been elegant in the distant past and had lost much of its brilliance. Nevertheless, it appeared to have a novel feeling about it. An elderly man wearing a scholarly robe noticed them from behind a desk and stood up.

"You must be them. Come in and have a seat," he said, gesturing towards an antique-looking table surrounded by chairs and a couch on the right side. The party entered and sat down, with Eremes sitting on the couch next to Howard and Seyren. The girls sat on the chairs.

Eremes twiddled his thumbs when he sat down. He needed to speak with Kathryne. Howard noticed his thumb-twiddling and asked, "Hey, anything wrong bro?" Eremes started before pocketing his hands. "Stop playing with your thumbs man. It doesn't look very manly…" Howard stopped speaking as the headmaster cleared his throat.

"I'm sure Rekenber summarized it for you, right?" asked the headmaster. "That no-good bastard…"

"U-Um sir… I don't think it's wise to say things like that about Rekenber…" said Margaretha in a frightened voice. "H-He has… ways of finding out…"

"I… I'm quite sorry miss, I didn't mean to scare you like that," replied the headmaster, bowing his head in apology. "It's just that… Well, getting back to the point…

"The Heart of Ymir! A mystery indeed. Much of the history of Juno lies in mystery. Nobody knew how exactly Juno remains afloat. Until now."

"Are you saying… that the Heart really is what keeps Juno afloat?" asked Kathryne tentatively.

"My, quick to pick up the pace. But then again… Rekenber must have told you. Wait… I can't believe I just realized… you are a teacher from the Mage Academy." He pulled out a document and observed it. "Anyway, spiffing guess, my dear. Correct."

"Whoa. I heard the Heart was a source of magical power. But I didn't think that it is what keeps this city afloat…" said Seyren, surprised at the discovery. "But that's not the whole story, is it?"

"Yes, it isn't the whole story," answered the headmaster, nodding. "There is a lot more that needs to be found out! You see… I once read in an ancient text from somewhere in the library… that the Heart of Ymir is a gateway to Valhalla!" Everyone gasped at this statement except Howard. "What the hell is a Valhalla?" asked Howard, scratching his head. "I think Rekenber mentioned it before… but I forgot to ask."

Kathryne sighed exasperatedly while Cecil cried, "How stupid can you get, Howard?" The headmaster merely laughed and said, "Don't hold it against him. A lot of people don't know Valhalla. I believe that the lady um…." He looks at a document. "Keyron? Lady Keyron may be able to explain."

"H-Huh?" Kathryne was not accustomed to being referred to by her last name. "O-Oh! Well Howard, to put it simply, Valhalla is the hall of the goddess Freya. Valiant warriors are taken there when they die. It is a great honor to be accepted in Valhalla."

"Ohhh…"

"Yes that is the simplest way of putting it," said the headmaster. "And that is where you adventurers come in. Though it is against my will to comply with Rekenber's demands, he has pulled strings at the government. I can not believe we have corrupt governors in this noble city…" The headmaster mumbled to himself for a few seconds. Seyren rapped the table to get his attention. "O-Oh… my apologies. I have nothing against you adventurers. I believe I can trust you." He stood up and approached a shelf nearby and pulled out a very old dilapidated tome and handed it to Kathryne. She opened it, careful not to damage the binder or the crumbling pages.

"What's this?" she asked.

"That my dear, is the book of Ymir. Even Rekenber does not know about that old text, much to my relief. He might have kept it in his own private collection!" He looked worried for a moment. He then turned to face the others. "I trust that Lady Keyron of the Mage Academy can keep this secret. What about the rest of you? Can you remain quiet about this great discovery?" The rest of the party looked at each other uncomfortably. Seyren asked, "What are you talking about? Rekenber assigned us here. He told us to investigate the Heart. And now you're telling me not to report…?" The headmaster was about to continue his plea when Kathryne spoke. "Guys, I think we can let this detail slip. Rekenber can be pretty vain, and I can't bear the thought of him keeping this artifact for himself."

"Well, I think if Kathryne thinks that it is right… then I guess we'll just have to comply," said Margaretha uncertainly. She glanced at Eremes for support and he slowly nodded in agreement."

"Thank you my lady." The headmaster sighed in relief. "I believe that you need to have an understanding of the myth of the Heart before I take you to see it. So, Lady Keyron? Kindly read aloud… here." Kathryne nodded and held the book carefully in front of her before speaking.

…Therefore, ancient heroes were always in anguish, knowing that ultimately, they were mortal and would pass from this realm…

There were no documents, songs or remaining folklore that had any information on life after death. However, I recently uncovered an old scroll about Valkyrie…

Valkyrie…

The legendary guardian angel

Angel of Ragnarok

Adventurers of great strength and bravery will be lead by Valkyrie to Valhalla, the Hall of Honor. There, they will be given new life.

Reborn, they will live again as even greater heroes that will brighten the world. Bodies that were exhausted will be filled with energy…

And the spirit will be given abilities with the Heart of Ymir was totally destroyed and scattered all over the world, after the battle of Rune-Midgard.

I found bits and pieces of Ymir's heart over a long long period of time. But I can't confirm if the story of Valkyrie and Valhalla is true or not despite all scientific basis.

So, I am leaving this record and hope that someone in the future can confirm that Valkyrie and Valhalla exist.

Let the heroes live new lives so they could protect the world from danger.

And then…

Kathryne continued reading. When she finished, everyone was silent. All appeared to be pondering the strange words written inside the book. After about a minute, the headmaster broke the silence. "What do you think?"

Kathryne was first to speak. "It seems whoever found this book roughly translated what was written in it." She carefully checked the worn pages once more before continuing. "The parts referring to 'I' is probably the one who translated the book. And based on what he has written... he concluded that the Heart is the key to releasing the Valkyrie."

"But I thought the Heart is the key to Valhalla?" asked Margaretha. "That's what Rekenber said…"

"Rather, that was what he implied," said Eremes. "I've been looking into this actually, back at the Corporation. That Valhalla thing was probably made up by Rekenber from bits and pieces of information he managed to gather just to get us here."

"So you're saying that Rekenber lied to us?" asked Howard, standing up suddenly. The headmaster looked at the confused faces in front of him before asking a question. "Rekenber… are you in league with him?"

Seyren answered, "Well we work for him…" Eremes interrupted, saying, "…But we do not share his interests. Our contract with him is merely out of need."

"You don't need to make us sound really poor you know…" said Cecil sadly. Eremes was struck and lowered his head. "Sorry…" he said.

Margaretha touched Eremes' hand to comfort him. "But it's true you know…" she said, choosing her words carefully. "We all came to Rekenber Corporation only to find a way to support those we care about…" Eremes twitched a little at the last word, causing Margaretha to hold his hand even tighter. "But I'm glad we did. Because… we all met."

Everyone was at loss for words. Then Cecil smiled. "She's right. Despite the fact that Rekenber has a rather shoddy reputation… it's thanks to him we all met. I guess we owe him that… but no, not in the sense…"

Seyren interrupted saying, "I guess what Cecil is trying to say is that we are blessed to have been brought together." He faced the headmaster. "Yes, we are in league with him in the sense that he is our employer. However, also no. We dislike Rekenber for a various amount of reasons. But I think that has little to do with our assignment and that we've said enough. What is it that you know about the Heart?"

The headmaster, who was listening intently to their heartfelt discussion, was taken aback by Seyren's sudden question. He coughed before saying, "Based on the words of the book's translator, the Heart is indeed the key to releasing the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie, according to myth, is the one who leads worth heroes to Valhalla. So indirectly... the Heart is the key to Valhalla. That should get rid of your doubts." The group nodded in response. "Well, onto the point. I need you to locate the Heart."

"Wait," interrupted Howard. "You mean you don't know where it is?"

"We know where it is," said the headmaster. "But we don't. Kindly sit down while I explain." Howard became embarrassed and sat down. "Thank you. Now you see, underneath the Juno Library, which is at the west part of the city, is a labyrinth. We know that the Heart is within that labyrinth, thanks to our local sages. They detect a source of great power within the labyrinth and this power is so great for this realm that the Heart of Ymir is the closest thing we can attribute it to."

"A labyrinth huh?" Seyren pondered for a moment. The headmaster nodded. "Since Rekenber, as I said, paid his way into this investigation, you, adventurers employed under his Corporation, will conduct a search inside the labyrinth."

"Is it… dangerous?" asked Margaretha uncertainly. The headmaster replied, "The only danger I heard is getting lost. Even so, you best be prepared for anything. I will lead you to the entrance of the labyrinth myself." He got up and motioned at the party to follow him.

Later, at the Juno Library, the party led by the headmaster was standing in front of a stairway, headed downwards into darkness.

"This stairway leads to the labyrinth," said the headmaster. Seyren observed that the stairway was only a hall away from the library's entrance. "Don't you think that other people might get curious and go in there?" he asked. "I doubt it," answered the headmaster. "The stairway is dark enough to deter the curious eye, and if that doesn't work, the darker hallway beneath it will."

"Wow, that sounds really fun for us…" commented Kathryne.

The headmaster chuckled and added, "Well a curious little child might be brave enough to go down there, but it would be shameful to the library's reputation to allow children to wander about its halls unattended. Do you have any other questions?"

"…What do we do after we find the Heart?" asked Eremes.

"Yes, that is a good question…" The headmaster scratched his chin as he gathered his thoughts. "If what the Book says is true, then you may be rewarded by the Valkyrie for freeing her. There is no other proof to support this though, so you might have to just… wing through it as some may say. Oh, if you manage to find it, I would appreciate it if you chart the path to it so that in the future we would be able to find it ourselves and study it closer."

"I guess that's what we need to do here." Seyren faced the rest of the party and said, "Well guys, are you ready? Okay, let's go." The party proceeded into the darkness as the headmaster called from behind them, "Good luck!"

* * *

About an hour passed since the party first set foot inside the labyrinth. The twist and turns of the labyrinth sapped their energy greatly. Though the party had much experience in exploring dungeons for hours, it was clear that this was no ordinary labyrinth.

"How long does this stupid path go on…?" asked Howard, his usual gait turned into a stagger. "I'm really getting hungry…"

"We're all tired Howard," replied Seyren, his tone remaining strong despite his tired expression. "Even if we turned back now, I doubt we'll make it back to the entrance. All these hallways… look the same…" He nearly staggered into a wall, but Kathryne held him back. "T-Thanks…" he said as Kathryne pulled his arm.

"Listen, I think we ought to rest for a while," suggested Kathryne. The others nodded wearily, and they all sat against the walls, facing each other. Howard almost immediately dozed off.

"He's really tired," said Cecil, who was seated next to Howard. "It's… a little weird. Usually he's so full of energy when we're on a mission…"

"I think this labyrinth has a lot of magical properties," said Kathryne. "As I observed so far, the passages look the same, and there's no way to determine which way we've been before. I left traces of magical energy somewhere, and we passed by that place again after a while. In fact, we've passed through that area several times despite the fact that we didn't go the same direction twice."

"You mean we're going to be stuck here forever with no way of finding our way out?" asked Cecil. The others shifted their gaze towards her, causing her to start and say, "I-I'm not saying that… but you know…"

"We need to find the Heart first," said Seyren, crossing his legs and leaning forward. "We can figure a way out when we've done that."

"I think Margaretha can open a path to get us out," said Eremes. Margaretha looked surprised since Eremes seemed like he was not listening to the discussion. She replied, "I already tried actually. For some reason, I can't open a portal here."

"That's another one of this place's magical properties," said Kathryne. "It seems to block all magical means of exiting."

"Maybe if we find the Heart, we can find a way to get out of here…" suggested Margaretha.

"It's not like we have any other choice. We came in here with no real plan. We just have to find the Heart and then we'll find a way to get out," said Eremes. He stood up before continuing. "I think we had better find the Heart soon, because I don't like the idea of staying in this labyrinth for too long."

"But Eremes… this labyrinth seems to drain our energy quickly. I'm not sure if…"

"All the more reason to find the Heart and get out as soon as possible," said Eremes firmly. "I've rested enough," he added. "I'll go on ahead and look around. See you when I find the Heart."

"Wait, Eremes!" Margaretha's protest came too late; Eremes had already disappeared into the darkness. "Eremes…"

"You know, I think it would be good for us to split up," suggested Kathryne, drawing everyone's attention. "I don't sense any monsters or what in this labyrinth so there's no need to worry about each other. Also, we'll cover more ground if we split up."

"I guess… that sounds like a plan," said Seyren. "But what if one of us collapses…?"

Kathryne looked hesitant for a moment before saying, "I pray that none of us will."

"Well, I guess it's safer if we split in twos…" said Seyren. "Cecil, wake Howard up. You two are partners. I guess I'll go with Kathryne. As for Margaretha… wait Eremes is already… huh?" As he turned to face Margaretha, he realized that she had already gone. "…Well that's convenient… I just hope she catches up with Eremes."

"Wait, why do I have to partner with this oaf?" protested Cecil, pointing towards the still-dozing Howard.

"I don't think this is the time for complaining alright? Come on Kathryne, we're taking that direction."

Before Cecil could protest some more, Seyren and Kathryne had disappeared as well. She sighed irritably before smacking Howard. "Get up you lazy bum! I'm stuck with you, so you better pull your weight and follow me!" exclaimed Cecil as she dragged Howard by the scruff of his neck to another path in the labyrinth.

* * *

Eremes meandered around the labyrinth, silently cursing to himself for every familiar corner and pathway he came across. As he walked, his thoughts drifted back to his dream.

"Why won't he come home?..." Egnigem's words rang clearly in his mind. Eremes could not bear picturing her sad expression in his mind as her tone was already disheartening. But still he could not help wonder. Ever since he started working for Rekenber, he never found time to return home.

"Eremes, finally I found you!"

Eremes snapped out of his reverie to see Margaretha run towards him from behind. She stopped in front of him to catch her breath.

"Don't run off like that… I already told you…"

"Sorry… But where are the others…?" asked Eremes, seeing that no one behind Margaretha.

"We agreed to split up to cover more ground…" said Margaretha.

"That's pretty pointless…" Eremes turned around and surveyed the pathways behind him. "All these paths look familiar. It's not like we're covering any more ground, we're just going around in circles!"

"Well we have to try," said Margaretha determinedly. "Let's not waste time…"

"Yeah…"


	7. Chapter 7 A New Beginning

The vast unexplored labyrinth underneath the Library proved to be a real challenge for the party of six. Even though they wisely chose to split up in twos to cover more ground, they never seemed to make any progress. Every turn, every corner all looked familiar and even so, each set of partners never encountered any of the others. Everyone's patience was wearing thin and they were wearier than ever.

"Can we stop once more?" asked Kathryne to Seyren, both of them having slowed to a crawl. "I'm not feeling so great…"

They sat down once more, facing each other. Seyren wiped the sweat off his forehead as he said, "You said this place has magical properties that causes those who explore it to become tired more quickly right?"

"Yes, and I estimate it would be only a few more minutes before we become too exhausted to carry on…" said Kathryne, her expression bleak. "We… really got ourselves into trouble this time, huh?..."

"Well I'm not planning to fall unconscious here. We have to keep moving…" said Seyren, standing up and holding out a hand. "We can't afford to waste anymore time if all we have is a few minutes left." Kathryne nodded in agreement and took his hand, using it to stand up once more.

"Can I ask something?" asked Seyren as the two of them continued walking. "Eremes seemed to want to talk about something with you. May I know what it is?"

Kathryne became silent, recalling her promise to Eremes to keep his secret. "I'm afraid I can't share that with you. I believe Eremes will share that with the rest when he is ready. Until then, as a friend I am bound to keep his secret."

"I… see."

Seyren became silent. Kathryne, worried about what Seyren might be thinking, spoke to defend Eremes.

"Please understand. We already know that Eremes's past is something he wishes not to talk about. He's starting to open up. Just give him time."

"…Alright. Bu-ouch!" Seyren hit something solid like metal, knocking him down. As Kathryne helped him up, she looked at what Seyren hit. She found that it was a metallic gate.

"This isn't familiar," she said. She turned around to see the path they took and saw that it was too dark to see. The pathway they were walking on was different too, also metallic. How could she not have noticed?

"I think we've found the chamber of the Heart!" she said excitedly. Seyren moaned in pain as he was helped up by Kathryne. "Well finally…" he said irritably. "Let's see it…"

* * *

"Aren't you tired yet?" Howard's loud voice echoed throughout the entire hallway as he asked the question. "We've been walking around this dumb maze for who knows how long!"

"Stop asking stupid questions and keep walking!" answered Cecil irritably. "You're already not helping, so keep your mouth shut!"

"Sheesh, what is up with you…" muttered Howard quietly. He turned his head away from Cecil and into the path ahead which remained quite dark. "…So what did you think of the stuff Kathryne read in the book?"

Cecil looked surprised. "You mean you were actually listening?"

Howard scratched his nose as he replied, "Well of course I was listening! You seriously need to give me more credit."

"Well now that you mention it, I'm a bit afraid of what might happen when we find the Heart," said Cecil thoughtfully. "If it is true that the Valkyrie is sealed somewhere and the Heart is the key to finding her, what will happen if we meet her?"

"You must be thinking of those stories they told us when we were kids…"

"Yeah, about Valhalla and stuff. Seemed like nonsense way back then."

Howard then started to laugh. Cecil got an annoyed expression when she saw Howard laughing and said angrily, "Hey, I'm being serious here!"

"I know, I know…" Howard stopped laughing as he spoke. "It's just, this is probably the first time we've ever talked about our childhood since we left."

Cecil's face turned red as she realized this. She looked away from Howard, staring at the wall. Howard did not notice and continued speaking, "You know, when this job is over, I'm calling it quits."

"What?"

"I'm gonna find another job back in Alberta," he said, his tone serious. "Working for Rekenber's good money and all that, but I've had enough of following his orders and all that crap."

"But if it wasn't for him…"

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're still defending him!" He stopped walking and turned to face Cecil. "I believe, in my own opinion anyway, that we would've met Seyren and Margaretha and Eremes and Kathryne anyway, even if we never met Rekenber!"

Cecil became silent. Howard's words caused her to think deeply and recall some memories.

* * *

Cecil was standing near the entrance of the village of Payon, old wooden houses surrounded by bamboo. Her left hand was gripping an old bow, made of composite wood. She had just finished her archer training. Somebody then ran towards her from the woods outside, a young merchant just her age. He stopped short in front of her and took a deep breath.

"H-Hey, just ran outside the village for a bit to try out my new skills," The younger Howard beamed at her as he stopped panting and stood straight up. "So, did you like that bow I left you?"

"Well it's barely stronger than the one my instructor gave me…" answered Cecil hesitantly.

"Aw come on! I spent my entire first paycheck getting that…!"

"You idiot…" said Cecil, shaking her head yet smiling. "But thanks. Now come on, we have to hunt a few monsters hanging outside of the village. If we get good spoils, we might be able to compensate with what you just spent!" She turned from Howard and started running out the village. She laughed as she ran since Howard could barely keep up with her…

* * *

Alberta, the port town. Cecil was leaning against a lamp post somewhere near the town square. She was staring at Howard, who was busily haggling with a vendor.

"Now that's my final offer!" said Howard to the vendor, who was shaking his head as he handed Howard a small bag. "Thanks!" said Howard, beaming as he turned towards and approached Cecil. As Howard got near her, she took the bag from him and examined it. "Hey give that back!" exclaimed Howard, trying an failing to snatch the bag back. Ignoring him, Cecil opened the bag and took out what's in it. It was a small chipped gold coin. "What's this?" she asked. "Don't tell me you spent your money on this… It doesn't even look like zeny…"

Howard snatched the coin from her and quickly hid it in his bag. "Course it's not zeny, you can't pay zeny for zeny you know." Cecil shook her head at Howard's statement. Howard ignored this and continued speaking. "It's a gold dubloon! It's a rare find from the sunken ship near the harbour. I think this is the first one ever salvaged from it!"

"Now where'd you heard that story?" asked Cecil sceptically. "I've been on that ship, nothing to find there but aggressive marine life."

"What? Didn't you see the skeletons and ghosts?"

"What do you mean skeletons and ghosts? There's nothing of the like there."

Howard looked Cecil in the eye and asked, "How far did you go in there?"

Cecil suddenly became uncomfortable and answered, "Well, as far as the entrance…"

"Hah!" Howard laughed and pointed at Cecil. "You're too scared to check that place out deeper! Hey what are you- ow!" Cecil struck Howard on the back of the head. "What'd you do that for? H-Hey where are we going…?" Cecil had grabbed Howard by the scruff of his neck and was dragging him towards the harbour.

"You think you're so tough huh? Well then let's go deeper into the sunken ship. If there were any of those monsters you said there, then I'm pretty sure we can handle them. After all, I have experience hunting undead."

Howard struggled fruitlessly as he shouted, "No, we can't survive with just us! We'll get massacred…!"

* * *

"Howard, are you okay?"

Cecil had a worried expression as she watched her friend pull a cart containing a lot of equipment towards her. Most of the equipment on the cart seemed to be old and used.

"Yup, this is nothing," replied Howard reassuringly, wiping the sweat from his brow as he lowered the handles of his cart. "You wouldn't believe how much junk the guys at the equipment shop keep around! I bought em' real cheap and I plan on selling them at the capital."

"They don't look really useful now…" said Cecil as she picked up a crossbow with a broken string from the cart pile. "Who on earth would buy this?"

"Hm… you do have a point," said Howard as he picked up battered battleaxe from the pile. "I know! One day, I'll head to Geffen and become one of those blacksmiths! That way I can make my own high quality arms and sell them!... Hey!" Cecil had placed hear hand on top of Howard's head and had pushed his head down. "Oh come one," she said. "You? Become a blacksmith? Come on!"

"Oh yeah? I'll show you! One day I'll be swinging my hammer on my own anvil! You'll see."

"Hahaha… Well I guess it's good to dream…" Cecil sighed. Howard calmed down a bit and looked at his friend. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Don't you plan on hitting it off someday? Maybe become a hunter or what?"

"Well… You remember what happened in the forest a couple of days ago? Near the hunter's training ground?" Cecil clutched her arm suddenly, and Howard noticed that she was clutching on a bandage. "Oh… Yeah, seriously, that guy's falcon has issues." He then took a bow from his pile of equipment, checked it for defects, and handed it to Cecil. "W-What's this for?" asked Cecil, as she examined the bow. It was elegant despite the fact that it was obviously used before. "I overheard from the archer village," said Howard. "Using a bow takes lot of skill right? Well that bow I just gave you is standard issue for every hunter! Now using it might be tricky, cuz' even though it looks like any other bow, you won't be able to use it easily. The string is made from quality flax, different from the other bows you use, which are probably made from sinew. It's harder to pull, see?"

Cecil was speechless at Howard's detailed description of the hunter bow she was holding. After getting past her awe, she asked him, "Well, okay… you got the knowhow on weaponry like this… I didn't even know what my bow was made of until now…" She looked ashamed. "Well anyway, why are you giving me this?"

"Silly… It's for when you become a hunter! You're not scared of becoming a hunter just because of one crazy falcon eh? Now don't go and let me down alright?"

"Geez… You don't have to be so pushy…" said Cecil, turning her head away yet smiling. "But really… thanks. I'll treasure this." Her smile caused Howard to blush and turn away as well. "W-Well, um, we should hunt in the forest again…" He picked up the handles of his cart and said, "Well then let's go!" As the two of them walked towards the entrance of the town, Howard said, "Besides… You're not sexy enough to be a dancer…" Howard's remark rewarded him a knuckle sandwich.

"And you're not smart enough to be accepted in the ranks of the alchemists!"

* * *

"Hey Cecil!"

Back in the present, Cecil was roused by Howard's loud voice. "I think we found it."

"What?" She suddenly noticed that they were in a more brightly lit room. In fact, the hallway behind them had disappeared altogether. In front of them was a gate. Howard motioned her to approach, and as she did so, she reached out her hand, her fingertips slowly nearing the gate.

* * *

"If you are tired, just let me know. I will slow down if I must." Eremes's voice was as indifferent-sounding as ever yet Margaretha knew that the concern behind his voice was real. She smiled warmly as she replied, "I'm still fine. We have to focus on the Heart right now." Eremes nodded and continued focusing his gaze on the dark path ahead.

"Eremes?" After a moment's silence, Margaretha suddenly spoke out. "What is it that Kathryne knows that I don't?"

Eremes was struck suddenly. It seemed that she knew he was hiding something that Kathryne alone knows.

"Eremes? Say something."

Perhaps it was the tiredness he was feeling, but right then he thought that maybe sharing what he held secret would ease his mind. Before he can speak though, he found his face inches from a small metal gate. As he stepped back in surprise, Margaretha suddenly grabbed his hand and they were both swept off the ground by a strong gust of wind. A blinding burst of light accompanied their departure, leaving Eremes and Margaretha unable to determine who or what may have caused that to happen.

As the light faded and Eremes was able to see once more, he found himself standing on a brick floor reminiscent of that in a castle. In fact, when he looked up, what he saw was some sort of altar. But as he looked around, there was the sky. Where was he? This is not a castle, he thought.

"Wait, Margaretha?" he swept his gaze around the room. Then suddenly someone hugged him from behind. "H-Hey!"

"You seem worried about me," said Margaretha, grinning at Eremes.

Eremes pushed her away as gently as he could before turning back towards the altar. Margaretha's cheeriness not disappearing despite what just happened caused him to sigh. He then recollected his thoughts as he observed the altar.

"Is this… where the Valkyrie is sealed?"

To answer his question, a female voice suddenly spoke in his mind.

"Another pair of humans?" asked the voice. "You are but the third to come here, in this place."

"Hey did you hear that?" asked Eremes to Margaretha.

"Yes…" she answered. "The third pair? That means… the others got here before us?"

"I am one of the Valkyries, warrior-maidens of Odin."

Suddenly, a beautiful armoured maiden appeared before them in a burst of light. Her wings added to her majestic look, as did her spear of gold. She set her gaze upon the Eremes and Margaretha.

"Drop your weapon, assassin," she said, her voice stern. "You have no use for it here."

"There's no way I'm—" Eremes was stopped by Margaretha. "Do as she says Eremes," she said. "Just listen to what she has to say." Eremes hesitated, but then nodded. He removed his jurs and lowered them slowly at his feet.

When he stood back up, the Valkyrie spoke once more. "It has been only moments since the first humans to come here have awoken me from my slumber. The four who came before you were all warriors fortunately. Including you."

"Wait, what are you letting on about?" asked Eremes impatiently.

"The halls of Valhalla have place only for those who live, and die as warriors." Her voice was solemn as she spoke. "As I look into your eyes, I can feel the drive within you, causing you to fight. Your life is filled of uncertainties, yet you press on, looking forward, never looking back." Somehow, this did not sound like a compliment to Eremes. In fact, it made him feel uncomfortable. "Ah, you too." The Valkyrie turned her gaze towards Margaretha. "Priestess, I welcome you here. I sense a burning passion within you. One not dissimilar from the drive of your companion." The Valkyrie closed her eyes, her expression contemplative. After a while, she reopened her eyes before declaring "You two are worthy to become heroes."

"Heroes?" repeated Margaretha. She turned to Eremes. "I knew, from the beginning that we would learn a lot more than what we bargained for when we agreed to find the Heart. ...But heroes?"

"If you two are willing, I will allow you to be reborn," continued the Valkyrie, not giving Eremes time to react.

"Reborn…?"

"Let go of what binds you to this realm of mortals. Embrace the promise of Valhalla. Asgard awaits those who allow themselves to be reborn."

"Reborn…" Eremes thought deeply. _Rebirth?_

His thoughts were still distracted as the Valkyrie looked at him once more. "Assassin, you are troubled," she said. "Rebirth is not an escape. If you choose to be reborn, you will continue to face what tribulations life has to offer. But when you rebirth is complete, the promise of immortality is what is next."

Eremes looked away. "The promise of immortality does not attract me one bit," he said. "Do not pretend to understand my life. You know nothing. You who dwell in Asgard know only to manipulate the lives of us mortals!"

"Eremes!" exclaimed Margaretha warningly.

"You would never understand," he said, his tone almost sounding sorrowful. He then turned his back on the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie however, did not seem bothered at all by his outburst.

"I do not pretend to understand the lives of mortals," she said. "I do understand though, that you have been running away all your life."

"What?" Margaretha was surprised by this statement. "What does she mean by that Eremes…?"

Eremes clenched his fist, feeling both angry and confused. _The Valkyrie knows,_ he thought. _Of course she does._

"Well then, let me tell you something about rebirth. You will be able to start fresh," she said. "And perhaps understand your own past."

Eremes unclenched his fist. _Understand my own past?_ he thought.

"Rebirth will not be easy," she said warningly. "It will be very difficult in fact. You will lose all your memories and you two will be separated."

"All our memories?" Margaretha was horrified by the thought. "But…"

Eremes turned to face the Valkyrie once more. "Alright then, I'll do this rebirth thing," said Eremes, his expression determined.

"Are you truly sure?" asked the Valkyrie. "Heed my warnings."

"After all I've been through, this can't be too hard," said Eremes with a seemingly confident smirk.

"But Eremes, what about me and everyone else and…"

Eremes placed his hands on Margaretha's shoulders, interrupting her. Margaretha's face turned red as Eremes did this. Eremes spoke gently to her. "Meeting you," he said. "And everyone, is the best thing that ever happened in my life. But unlocking my past? That is something that I need to do."

"B-But…" Margaretha's started to shed tears. "Will I even see you again...?"

Eremes let go of Margaretha. The Valkyrie surveyed this moment with a seemingly indifferent expression, but she then spoke in a much gentler tone after the two exchanged words.

"May Odin forgive me but I feel that I must tell you something."

The other two turned to face the Valkyrie to listen to her.

"I have seen that you two share a powerful bond. In fact, I sense that all of you, including the ones who came to me before you, share a very powerful bond. Rebirth may take away your memories and your current strength, but it cannot possibly sever a bond as strong as what you share. Fate would have you two meet again."

Margaretha wiped her tears. Though her expression remained sad, she sounded appreciative as she addressed the Valkyrie. "Thank you," she said.

The Valkyrie betrayed a look of concern for a brief moment as she received Margaretha's thanks.

"So I guess… this is it." Eremes turned to face Margaretha. "About our date… I have to admit to you, I said that because at that moment—" His words were cut short as Margaretha threw her arms around him. Eremes hesitated for a moment but then returned her embrace. One more treasured memory to unlock in his new life.

The Valkyrie looked away during this tender moment. She would not understand perhaps.

To Eremes's surprise, Margaretha pulled away first. She smiled at him one last time, murmuring a silent 'goodbye' before turning to the Valkyrie and nodding. The Valkyrie returned the nod and Margaretha vanished in another burst of light.

"Margaretha…" Eremes shook his head to collect his thoughts. "I'll see you again, soon."

"Well then, I'm ready," he said confidently. "The ones that bind me to this world are my friends. They've gone ahead of me, so nothing roots me to this life anymore."

The Valkyrie smiled. "You speak as though you are going to die," she said. "You will be starting a new life. Not simply losing the one you have now."

"I sent your friend to meet someone special. There is someone you should meet as well."

Eremes was confused with what she was talking about. The Valkyrie motioned behind him. Eremes turned around to find a person standing behind him. It was an assassin, like him. This strange assassin was different however, since he was wearing an outfit different from that of Eremes.

"Who… are you?" asked Eremes.

"You must know this," said the mysterious assassin, ignoring Eremes's question. "You will lose everything when you are reborn. It will be like the first time you touched a dagger. It means that not only your memories, but your experience will be lost as well. Are you willing to give that up for the promise of greater rewards?"

Eremes looked at the jurs he had dropped on his feet. Was he ready to give up his great skill as an assassin along with his memories for a chance to unlock his past? "I am," he whispered to himself.

As though hearing his whisper, the mysterious assassin nodded. "I believe your heart is set. When the time is right, we shall meet again…"

The assassin's voice reverberated through his mind before he was blinded by another burst of light. In the blinding whiteness his memories were unravelled. Eremes's mind started to clear. All his worries were washed away with the light that wrapped around him.

* * *

When Eremes's vision finally cleared, he found himself standing in the field north of Prontera. He did not recognize the place one bit though.

"…Where am I?" He looked around and observed the vast greenery around him which was familiar in his former life. He was no longer wearing his bandaged garb and his cloak. He was wearing a blue outfit worn by novice adventurers. He stared curiously at his outfit, almost wondering how he managed to find himself wearing it. He was startled, however, by a shout coming from somewhere.

"Hey!"

He was approached by a white-haired young man wearing the same outfit. "You look lost."

"Yeah… where am I?"

"You're near Prontera Castle!" answered the young man. "Since you look like you're starting out like I am why don't we start hunting together? I know a good place where there isn't much competition…"

"Yeah… I guess," was all Eremes could say. His mind was still a bit clouded at that moment.

"Oh, I have a party set up by the way. My friends are inside the capital. Let's go meet them." The young man motioned Eremes to follow him. When they reached the rear gate of the castle, the young man spoke once more.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Where are my manners? My name is Seyren Windsor. You?"

"My name," Eremes struggled to clear his mind for a moment. There are but fragments of his memories left and thinking was difficult for him. After thinking for a moment, he opened his eyes and answered.

"My name is Eremes. Eremes Guile."

"Nice to meet you Eremes," replied Seyren with a smile. "We better hurry, they're waiting for us."

For the first time in years, Eremes returned a true smile. Without any trouble eating away at him, he had no reason to force a smile. As he headed into the castle with Seyren, his head was held high, facing the sky. It was a good day for new beginnings.


	8. Chapter 8 Rekenber's Plans

"What do you mean you still don't know where they are?!"

Rekenber's voice was full of anger. His usually combed hair was disheveled and lacked its usual sleek. He had the air of someone very flustered, as though he had not slept for days. The messenger standing before him also looked tired. His fatigue however, was outweighed by his fear as his eyes looked upon this man who he had never seen so furious.

"S-Sir, we've been searching for a few good months now…! We cannot find them anywhere they might be!" He gestured, his hand shaking, at the reports at Rekenber's feet. "We checked everywhere! Every possible place that they could be staying at! Every area they might be hunting, every inn they might be staying at… They are not there!"

Rekenber sharply turned away from the messenger, who started backward with Rekenber's sudden movement. "Those fools…" His breath can be heard from every corner of the room. "They had better had not run from me…" He glanced at his feet. The reports he was stepping on, fallen from the desk, were scattered around the floor. The location on the heading of each report flashed before his eyes: The Clock Tower of Al De Baran, the deepest bowels of Glast Heim, not even in the fields around Lighthalzen. Then, he glanced at a mirror on his desk. He noticed his disheveled hair and mad expression. He slowly worked himself to smile.

"You are dismissed," he said, turning back to the messenger. The messenger backed slightly, as Rekenber turned, and nodded shakily at his command before retreating. Though Rekenber has regained his composure, this did not cause the messenger's fear to subside.

"Those six…" He muttered under his breath as he sat back down behind his desk. "They will be found."

A knock on the door distracted him from his contemplation. He straightened himself up and said, "Enter."

A man wearing a lab coat entered the office and closed the door behind him. "Pardon the mess doctor," said Rekenber. "One of my messengers dropped his papers."

"Never mind that," said the doctor, who appeared to be in a hurry. "We have studied that document you found. It is quite extraordinary. I still cannot believe Lighthal let go of such an opportunity." He carefully took out a single document from his pocket. He also took out a pair of spectacles and read the document. "With this, I can finally make my work known throughout Rune-Midgard and Schwartzwald!"

"But…" The scientist lowered the document. "We need a good specimen. Perhaps you will allow…?"

"I have my eyes set on someone," said Rekenber, resting his chin on his hands.

"Someone? Pardon sir, but surely you do not mean a live specimen?" asked the scientist. "Although preferable, using a live specimen would be unwise. We do not want the Prontera Knights or the like to breathe down our necks. We could make do with a dead specimen. Perhaps an unclaimed body or—

"I already said I have someone." Though Rekenber's tone was calm, it carried an invisible force that immediately silenced the scientist. "Well perhaps, even more."

"M-More?" A bead of sweat appeared on the scientist's forehead. "S-Sir… With all due respect..."

"Unless you want me to stop funding your research, I suggest you remain silent." Rekenber stood up and picked up one of the documents scattered on the floor. The heading of the document says 'Lighthalzen'. The names of several adventurers were right below the heading. "Do as I say. Return to your laboratory, continue studying the document, and do not tell a soul." He put the document down. "Now go. I will get you your specimen."

The scientist wiped his forehead before bowing and retreating to the door. Rekenber sat down and looked over the document on his desk once more. After a few minutes of silently looking the document over, he called for his secretary.

"Tell this to the one handling the scouts," said Rekenber as soon as his secretary entered. "If they return here without bringing me good news, they will lose much more than their jobs."

"Yes sir," said the secretary as Rekenber finished speaking. She seemed to be used to his manner of speaking. "Sir, may I inquire? Your expression tells me you are about to do something."

"You deduce correctly, as always." Rekenber's secretary did not return his smile. "If I had not been busy making dealings in Einbroch, I would have done this sooner. Those fools… searching dungeons and taverns… What ignorance. I will do some searching of my own." He walked past his secretary and took the first step down the stairway. "They did not even bother asking their families. I mean, most of them are orphans, but," He smirked broadly before continuing. "Find one of them, and you'll find them all." He turned from his secretary and proceeded down the stairway, each step echoing throughout the empty corridors.


	9. Chapter 9 Where We Are

"So I said, 'Hey, maybe we should go hunting together some time' and she said, 'Not even if you gave me all the zeny in the world.' So do you think I have a shot with her?"

"…You can't take a hint, and you can't take it even if it's in your face. You're hopeless, Howard."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Seyren and Howard were sitting together in a café near the town square of Izlude. They were still wearing their novice garbs. Howard in particular was sporting a new hat. As the two of them were talking, a weary-looking traveller sat down on a table next to theirs. His deep sigh and ragged look got Howard's attention. "What's up with you?" he asked, ignoring a look from Seyren that told him to mind his own business.

"H-Huh? Oh. Adventurers," his eyes settled for a few seconds on their blue novice garbs before sighing once more. "I envy you guys, free to do whatever you want, without worrying about the next day."

"Yeah, right, adventuring is not like that," said Seyren, deciding to join the conversation because of the traveller's remark. "But I think you've gone through a lot more than the two of us have. Care to share?"

"Alright fine… But I need a drink first… Er, what's this?" Howard had handed him a bottle of juice. "It's apple," said Howard. "We don't need you getting drunk on us. I'm only up for a good story if you stay sober to the end."

"Let me tell you, my story is far from good," said the man in a sad voice. "I guess since you two appear to be just starting out in your adventure you probably haven't been in Schwartzwald. I'm from there; it's the Republic north of Rune-Midgard. I've come here on an errand for my boss."

"You see, it seems that a couple of adventurers who work my boss have gone AWOL, and several scout teams were set up to find them. That was months ago." He leaned back, leaving his drink on the table. "Let me tell you, those missing adventurers were an elite core! We've been sent to places we would never even imagine setting foot in, just to find them!"

"Why not just hire some adventurers to find them? Those who frequent those dangerous places you say," asked Seyren. Howard nodded in agreement. "Yeah why don'tcha?"

"The leader of my team suggested that to our boss. He refused. Apparently, he did not want word getting out to the public. That's what our leader believed, but I think Rekenber was being as stubborn as always." He sat up straight after the last statement. "You did not hear me say that, alright?" The other two looked at each other before nodding to affirm keeping what he said a secret, despite the feeling they both had that they needed not to. "Well anyway, that's why we've been having lots of problems. Since our boss, ah, I'll just call him by name. So Rekenber, like I've said, was stubborn. We weren't allowed to do anything else until we finished our mission. And recently," He grimaced noticeably as he spoke. "We were warned not to return without finding them, or we'll be killed."

Howard stood up in an outrage and exclaimed, "That's no way a boss should treat his people! Why the heck are you even working for that kind of guy in the first place?"

The man smiled weakly as he answered, "We have no choice. I… grew up in the slums. In fact everyone on my team had grown up in the slums. Rekenber was the only one who accepted us to work for him. Life in the Republic is very cruel." His face fell. "I really envy you. If only I was born here, in Rune-Midgard, I might've had a chance to become an adventurer."

"Like I said before, the life of an adventurer is a lot more difficult than you think—" began Seyren but the man shook his head and interrupted, "You don't get it. Rekenber is a monster! I would gladly give up working for him any time. But everyone…" His face fell once again. "Everyone who ever tried to resign simply disappeared. We all fear the worst, but no one wanted to cross Rekenber and end up dead."

"I have a family… back at Lighthalzen…" The man, who appeared to have been holding back tears, let go of himself and let them flow. "I really miss them, but I can't go back. Not until I find-" He took out a number of pictures. "…these guys."

Howard took one of the photographs from him. "Wow, the technology in Schwartzwald is really cool. How on earth are they able to capture a picture like this? Wait, this guy looks like you Seyren." He showed the picture to Seyren, who took it and gazed at it intently. The traveller looked up.

"I-Is that true?" he said. He hurriedly took the photograph from Seyren and looked from it to Seyren's face. "Y-Yes, the resemblance is remarkable! B-But…" The look of elation on his face disappeared. "You're only a novice adventurer. This photograph is of a knight from Prontera."

"Yeah I guess I do look like him," said Seyren uncertainly as he gazed at the photograph. Howard grinned and put an arm around Seyren. "Well that settles it then!" he said in a loud voice. "We simply have to dress up ol' Seyren here as a knight and cart him off to Lighthalzen!"

The man wiped his eyes as he watched Seyren struggle from Howard's grip. "You two are strange. Damn it. I can't believe I let the two of you see me crying. My son…" He looked up to the sky. "He would be really mad if he heard that I cried in front of two youngsters." The other two stopped struggling for a moment as they watched him look up to the sky. Then when he saw that the other two were looking at him, he laughed before returning to his table and taking his bottle of apple juice. He drank it all up before facing them once more. "Thanks you two. You remind me of my son. He was a rambunctious little tyke as well." Howard grinned before letting go of Seyren.

"Well old man, we'll tell your son all about your adventures then!" he proclaimed boldly. "Some day, we'll go to Lighthalzen! We'll be the talk of everyone around here! We'll kick butt and take names, and we'll..." Seyren placed his hand over Howard's mouth to stop him talking. "What he really means to say is we'll tell your son about your cool adventures. We'll make your son proud to have you as a dad!"

"My… adventures?" The man looked uncertain as those words came out of his mouth. Howard managed to break free from Seyren and said, "Yeah, your adventures! You keep saying you envy us. But in fact, you're far more an adventurer than either of us are!"

The man chuckled once more. "Thanks kid. I won't lose hope. Oh and thanks for the apple juice." He waved at them and walked away. About after fifteen steps from them however, he turned back and said, "Hey you! Kid with the funny hat! Next time treat me to a glass of Juno's special!" Howard grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "Sure thing old man!"

They watched until the man had disappeared through the wall next to the bridge leading out of town. "That old man… He isn't bad," commented Howard as he slumped back on his seat. "Well now what?"

"Well I guess the others won't be back soon," Seyren looked thoughtful for a moment. "Remember that picture that man showed us? It really did look like me… but it was knight." He glanced at a building near the café. "It's a shame the swordsman's guild moved to Prontera. Since then, this place has like been a ghost town!" Indeed, they seemed to be the only people at the square, with a only a few people passing by, all heading straight for the dock. "Anyway, I've decided! I'm going be a knight." He stood up. "Hey, Howard. Pay for my drink will you? I'm going to head over to the guild." He strode off quickly.

"H-Hey! You said you were gonna pay this time!" His complaint was useless however, for Seyren had already entered the guild and was out of earshot. "Sheesh…" He slumped back on his chair and took of his hat. "My hat does not look funny!" he said to himself, recalling the stranger's last words to him. He hung around, watching for people coming from the dock. When nobody came out after a while, he stood up, deciding to walk around. Before he could take two steps though, Seyren tapped him on his shoulder, causing him to turn around sharply and assume a fighting stance.

"H-Hey wait a minute! Why are you dressed up like that? Don't tell me you're a swordsman already?" Seyren was indeed, no longer wearing his blue novice garb. He was wearing the standard leather armor worn by swordsmen. "Aren't you supposed to take some test before becoming a swordsman?"

"Yeah, really weird. The guildmaster told me that I no longer need to take the exam. He just produced a certification that I am a swordsman and gave my armor to me. And he gave me a free sword. Which is strange, new swordsmen aren't usually provided with weaponry. We're supposed to get a sword ourselves. And stranger still…" he brandished his sword in front of him. "It feels… familiar."

"Haha, maybe swordsmanship is in your blood!" said Howard as he gleefully watched Seyren swing his sword. "Maybe… that picture in the guy the old man showed us… is actually a picture of your distant ancestor!"

"Idiot," said Seyren as he sheathed his sword. "If he was a distant ancestor, then the old man can't find him no matter what because then he would be dead."

"Oh right… that would suck for the old man." answered Howard in a mildly embarrassed tone. "So uh, since now you're a swordsman... I guess I'll go to Alberta and join the merchant's guild." He turned to face the docks. "I'll head there myself. I'll see you later Seyren." He ran, Seyren's gaze following him, towards the docks. After a few seconds however, Howard came back, looking sheepish, and asked, "Uh Seyren, you got any money? I spent the last of mine on our drinks." Seyren shook his head and replied, "You really are an idiot…"

"What? What do you mean you don't have any money either?" Seyren and Howard, after exiting Izlude on foot, were making their way across the fields of Prontera, heading south. "I meant what I said," replied Seyren calmly. "I had you pay our drinks because I'm all out of money as well. Mind you, I did suggest that we just walk to Izlude instead of paying for a ride."

"Well I didn't feel like walking… Hey, why are we heading towards the desert?" asked Howard as they stopped stepping on green and started to step on sand. "Didn't I tell you that I wanted to head to Alberta?"

"To get to Alberta on foot, we have to head south," said Seyren, pulling out a map from a large pouch on his belt and showing it to Howard. "See just follow this path right here… and then… Wait, where's your map? All adventurers are presented with a map after being recognized by the—"

"Never mind that!" said Howard, cutting him off. "So we just have to follow this path, huh?"

"You follow that path. I don't have any business in Alberta, so I'm going to do some hunting." Seyren pointed behind him; westwards in accordance to the map. Maybe I'll find Eremes wandering around too." He handed the map to Howard. "You're supposed to have one of this, or else you'll easily get lost and maybe get eaten by a monster." Howard grimaced at Seyren's last remark before grabbing the map and stuffing it in his pocket. "I'll get another one as soon as I get back to Prontera, and before you say anything, I know my way back well enough to not need a map." Howard blew a raspberry at Seyren in response before running off. "Immature brat," muttered Seyren as he watched Howard trip over a rock.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Prontera Sanctuary, Margaretha, now dressed in fine acolyte robes, was kneeling penitently in front of the altar. Her head was bowed and her hands were clasped together as she prayed silently. The head priest appeared from one of the rooms in the main hallway and approached her. Margaretha slowly stood up as she felt the head priest approach her and she nodded silently towards him.

"My dear Margaretha, when I heard the news that you have come back here, I had to return," he gazed upon her and watched as the sunlight streaming from the ceiling-high windows enhanced her humble beauty. "I still can not believe it… My eyes may be playing tricks on me!" This remark confused Margaretha. "What do you mean father?" she asked.

"Goodness, my dear, can you not remember my face?"

Margaretha silently shook her head. "Father, I believe this is the first time we have met. I heard from the head acolyte that you are the one who guides acolytes in their path to priesthood. As you may have heard, I have only become recognized by the ascetics. My journey has only begun so I'm afraid, father," she said, minding her tone and remaining respectful. "—that I am not ready yet to be guided by you. If we have ever met before, it must be from a time when I wasn't aware of the world yet."

The head priest mouth was agape. He could not believe what he had just heard. "So my eyes are not playing tricks on me…" He looked away and looked thoughtful for a moment while Margaretha looked on with a curious expression. After a while, he turned back to face her and said, "I am sorry my dear. Perhaps the head acolyte has mistaken you for someone else. I need to speak with him. I apologize for bothering you during your meditation." He observed Margaretha's face once more for a few more seconds before turning away. As Margaretha turned to the altar once more and knelt down, the head priest re-entered the room he came from and approached the head acolyte sitting on a pew next to the room's entrance. The head acolyte stood up and respectfully greeted the high priest before saying, "I overheard. Perhaps you are right… It could not be her. I mean, she looks younger… and indeed, she has just begun her journey."

"If that is so, then why did you allow her to become an acolyte immediately?" asked the head priest in a stern voice.

"My apologies your holiness, but I just had a feeling. I… am certain that she no longer needs to be tested."

"Very well then, but you do realize, we may be placing her in danger by letting her take up the acolyte's path without first letting her take the pilgrimage of recognition…"

"I am much certain, that she will be fine. She told me she has friends that help her on her journey," The head acolyte looked thoughtful for a moment. "She reminds me of her back then," he said.

"Indeed the likeness is uncanny," agreed the head priest. "But she appears younger than her… when we last saw her." He closed his eyes as he recalled memories from the past. He recalled a cold and rainy night years ago. The cry of a baby wrapped in worn cotton rags reverberated in his mind. "I wonder how she is now?" he asked in a faintly worried tone.

"She is much stronger than when she first came here," answered the head acolyte. "You should know that."

"I know… I know… But she is like a daughter to me. I can not help but be worried about her," he said. The two of them fell silent, lost in thought for a while, when Margaretha passed by the doorway. The head priest called out to her, "You are going already?"

"Yes father, I must search for my friends. We went our separate ways a while back so I must hurry to find them." She politely bowed before hurrying out the sanctuary's entrance.

"May the gods watch over her," said the high priest in a quiet voice.

* * *

"Well that was smoother than I expected," said Howard to himself in a satisfied voice as he stepped out of the merchant's guild. He made his way towards the plaza just outside the guild and sat down on one of the benches. "That was really weird… I thought I had to make a delivery first… Oh well. I shouldn't complain. I don't have any more money and it's a pain to walk. But still…" Howard closed his eyes as he thought hard. "It feels really familiar somehow… Oh crap, I forgot to ask for a map!" Howard stood up quickly and made a step back towards the guild before someone grabbed his shoulder and briskly turned him around. It was Cecil, already wearing standard archer garb.

"Well whaddya know? Looks like you finally decided to get with the program and show up!" said Cecil. "I was waiting here for a couple of days you know. I heard everyone else has already gotten application in their respective guilds. You're the last guy," she added, emphasizing 'last'.

Howard merely shrugged and replied, "Well, the last guy has got to be the best. So why were you waiting for me anyway?"

Cecil turned her back on him and said, "Hm… No reason… Or is it because you promised that you'll buy me a couple of stuff once you became a full-fledged merchant?"

Howard was taken aback and replied, "What the? Didn't I already treat you the first time I made a killing?"

Cecil looked surprised. "Are you alright? You just became a merchant!"

Howard suddenly stopped and looked around, "Err… huh. Why'd I say that?" He thought hard for a moment, his face contorted. "W-Well anyway, I don't have any money right now because… I spent most of it with Seyren back at Izlude. And uh… I spent the rest on the application fee at the guild so uhh…"

"Well isn't that convenient?" interrupted Cecil with a meaningful smile. "I guess I'll just have to drag you around for a bit during one of my hunts…"

"What! I always had to carry all your stuff before I even started adventuring! Can't you give me a break?"

"Huh? Are you really alright? We only first met last week and you were already a recognized adventurer. I'm pretty sure you couldn't have carried my stuff before we met…" Cecil thought for a moment. "…Although it does feel familiar…" she said in a quiet voice.

"W-Well anyway, we promised to meet up with everyone after I finished right? Let's get to that first before we go on another one of your hunts…"

"Hmph, fine then!" Cecil grabbed Howard by the scruff of his neck and dragged him away from the bench. "But I won't forget this! You owe me three helpings of the Morroc special!" Howard struggled, saying, "But that's really expensive! Can't I just treat you to some apple juice or something? H-Hey wait, you're hurting my neck. Agh!"

The two of them left the familiar plaza behind. Despite their carefree conversation on the various dishes Cecil wanted to try out, each of them were lost in their own thoughts, feeling as though there was something missing in their memories.


	10. Chapter 10 A Thief and his Friends

Deep within the Morocc desert, a lone figure, his ragged cloak swept by the hot desert breeze, wanders alone. For almost a week, he circled the desert, occasionally stopping where he could find an oasis. Every dune had become familiar to him, and he had memorized the location of every landmark. Today he rests beneath a peculiar rock formation he had passed several times already. The conical hat covering his face prevented him from noticing someone approach him.

"Hey Eremes, you look dead."

Startled, Eremes quickly pulled out a dagger from beneath his cloak and struck out. Seyren parried the blow with his sword.

"Yeah, I figured you'd do that," said Seyren with a sigh. He sheathed his sword as Eremes replaced his dagger within his cloak. "If it was Howard that went to see you, he'd have an extra opening on his face by now."

"What do you want Seyren?" asked Eremes, his tone dreary. Before the swordsman could answer, he noticed scraps of food scattered behind Eremes. "Didn't you prepare some food before you went training?"

"Yeah I did, but that was only good for about a day. I've been walking around for a while…" He stopped and gazed at a distant rock formation to their left. "We're actually pretty close to Morroc… Maybe we ought to head there before continue?"

"And you sounded so gloomy just now. Well, good to know that I don't have to coax you for a change."

After about an hour, the two of them arrived in Morocc. They headed towards a nearby tavern and ordered a table. A waitress approached them and asked, "What will you be having?"

"I'll have the Morocc special," answered Seyren. When the waitress looked inquiringly at Eremes, he said, "I'll have the special too." As the waitress left them, Eremes repeated his question.

"So what do you want Seyren?"

"What do I want? I just want to spend some time with a friend, that's what. Why, you too busy? From what I've noticed, you've been doing nothing but walking and hunting in the desert. That's unhealthy you know. You might get a heat stroke," answered Seyren.

"I was born in Morroc. I'm used to the heat. And besides, I need the training."

"For what exactly?" asked Seyren curiously. "Me and the rest haven't really thought that far ahead yet. Are you planning on becoming one of those assassin guys?"

"Well… I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do, but I just really think that I need the training. As for becoming an assassin… I'm not sure either…"

"Well I don't see the point why you need to exert yourself too much… Oh thanks."

The waitress had returned and served their drinks. Seyren drank his glass down and asked for another, while Eremes stared quietly at the ice cubes swirling around in his glass. "You know," he said. "I just remembered… as soon as I got here in Morroc, I immediately took the thief exam and then headed out to the desert."

"You said you live here right? Where do you live?"

"Actually I can't remember exactly where… I'm not even sure if I really did come from Morroc or not," said Eremes uncertainly. He felt strangely unsettled.

"Didn't you just say you were used to the heat here?" asked Seyren as he took a sip from his second glass. "Your complexion says so. And besides, no one who was born from Prontera can stand the heat here for too long. And you were out in the desert for like… two, three… five days?"

"Well I didn't exactly sit under the sun for five straight days," he answered amusedly. "But yeah I guess you're right." He decided to ignore his unsettledness for now. "Say, do you know what the Morocc special is made of?"

"I don't know. Fruits?"

"Well yeah, it has a couple of fruits," said Eremes as he sat back and recalled the ingredients. "But the main thing is fresh Muka juice."

"Wait, what?" Seyren nearly spilled his glass over the table. "You mean it's made from those hopping cactus things in the desert? THOSE Mukas?"

"Yeah, why? Fresh Muka juice is important here in Morroc. I think it has more nutrients than regular cactus juice and it tastes even sweeter."

"So what, you killed those things and sucked their… juices to survive in the desert?"

"Well no. Raw Muka juice tastes bland. And besides, unless you're careful, you'll get sand in the stuff. You won't be able to drink it then."

"Dang, I didn't know that…" Seyren looked at his glass funny and pushed it a bit far from me. "Well if you know that stuff, you MUST be from Morroc."

"Yeah I guess," replied Eremes as he smiled knowingly to himself. "…I guess you're right. Yeah."

"Well, who did you learn that from?"

As though a spark suddenly jolted from every point of his body to his brain, fragments from Eremes's memories quickly flashed before his eyes. Time was reduced to a standstill as strange, yet familiar faces and voices flowed through his mind. Seyren's worried tone however, brought him back to reality.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah…" Eremes shook off the strange images from his mind. "Yeah… I'm fine."

"Well okay but you didn't actually answer—"

Seyren was cut short as a loud noise from outside caused a stir within the tavern. "What was that?" he asked. He stood up and made his way through the crowd starting to gather around the entrance of the tavern. Eremes followed shortly. Outside, the two of them found an unconscious Howard next to Cecil who was apologizing to a burly-looking merchant.

"I'm really, really sorry about what he did," she said apologetically, her head bowed. "He just doesn't know when to not touch other people's belongings."

"He broke three month's worth of potions!" said the merchant angrily. "Do you think I'll just let that go? I ought to just take all your stuff right now!"

Eremes was about to make a move when Seyren held out an arm to stop him. "We don't want to cause a scene here Eremes. Let me handle this." He approached the burly-looking merchant and tapped his shoulder. "I'm sorry about your loss friend, but there's no need to cause a scene outside the tavern."

"Who the hell are you? Stay out of this!"

"Now, now," continued Seyren, unabashed. "Tell you what, here's a couple of coupons for free drinks at another tavern down the road." He quickly handed the merchant three pieces of paper and pointed down the road south. "Just take the third left, and you'll be there."

The merchant eyed the coupons suspiciously before saying, "I don't remember there being any tavern there," he said.

Seyren looked over his shoulder discreetly before motioning the merchant to come closer. "Listen friend, that place is only for specially chosen people. I'm one of the people responsible for recruiting. I was hoping to talk to you a while ago but this little accident—" he glanced meaningfully at Cecil who looked like she was waiting for a signal. She nodded and motioned at Eremes to help her drag the unconscious Howard away from the crowd. "—has caused trouble for you. Rest assured, I'll hand over those responsible to the Morroc authorities. Well then!" He quickly pushed the merchant toward the direction pointed. "Off you go. Tell them… Wind sent you. And, oh yeah, here's a free storage ticket for goodwill." The merchant walked away with a confused expression in his face. After the merchant was out of earshot, Seyren told the crowd that there was nothing to see before pursuing the trio who left earlier. He caught up to them behind a small tent just a bit off the road.

"That was quick thinking Seyren!" said Cecil, impressed, as Seyren approached.

"Well, actually, I was hoping I didn't have to do that," he replied. "I'm pretty sure your clever enough to make up something more believable. Why didn't you?"

"Well I…" she glanced at Howard, still unconscious. Eremes, who was kneeled next to him, stood up and said, "He's just unconscious from a mild concussion. Must have slipped on something."

"Slipped?" Seyren face-palmed before turning back to Cecil. "What exactly happened back there?"

Cecil sighed before answering. "The idiot accidentally knocked over the guy while he was carrying potions," she said. "He was about to apologize when he slipped on an apple core. The idiot."

"Well that sounds just like Howard," said Seyren. He walked over to where Howard was lying and noticed a wet sheet of parchment in Howard's back pocket. He picked it up disgustedly and said, "You'd think he'd at least avoid getting apple juice in his map. Anyway, we have to move somewhere else before that merchant catches on."

"Why?" asked Cecil.

"Why? I made all that up of course. Handed him a couple of old fliers I picked up near where the old swordsman's guild used to be. The ticket I gave him, I picked it up while hunting near Prontera. It expired months ago. Found it inside a Poring."

"Well that's amazing," said Cecil as she helped Eremes shoulder Howard's prone body.

"A ticket in a Poring is amazing?"

"Well, a Poring that lived for a couple of months? That's amazing."

Night has fallen, and the four were camped in the middle of the desert. Howard has regained consciousness and was shivering because of the cold night-time breeze. As he sneezed, the other three moved away from him. "Aw come on you guys," he said. "It's just a cold."

"I'd sooner catch a disease from a flock of condors," said Cecil, who eyed Howard disgustedly. "It's your fault we have to camp out here in the desert anyway! If you hadn't caused trouble…" She sighed and looked at the direction of Morroc, barely visible because of the dust and dark. "That merchant's probably tearing the town apart, looking for us."

"I don't mind camping out in the open," said Eremes. "I've been doing it for about a week now."

"Well sorry Mr. I-can-live-off-the-land-because-I-hate-civilization," she replied, pouting. "Remember that a delicate woman is travelling with you. You should be more sensitive to my needs…"

Howard snorted and muttered, "Delicate?" Cecil proceeded to hit him in retaliation.

"No I don't hate civilization. I just like being on the move. And… you're an archer right? Don't you live off the land by hunting as well? And isn't Payon a village detached from civilization?"

"I… shut up Eremes!" interjected Cecil before heading into her tent. Eremes glanced amusedly at Seyren, who merely shrugged.

"You know guys… A-Achoo!" Howard sneezed again. "I-I think I'll get some sleep too…" He got up, wrapped himself up more securely with his blankets, and retired to his tent. After a few minutes, Seyren suddenly blurted out, "I just remembered! Margaretha was supposed to meet with us back in Morroc! We have to get her!"

Eremes sighed. "Maybe you should go by yourself. I'll stay here and mind the camp," he said. Seyren shook his head however, and said, "You can't avoid her forever you know. She really wants to see you. And besides… that merchant we met a while ago remembers me. You're more suited to do this since he probably doesn't remember you." Before Eremes could protest some more however, "Margaretha will get violent if you don't go and see her. If went to see her I killed for not bringing you with me, I'll haunt you for the rest of your life." Eremes sighed once more before getting up and donning his hat. "Fine, I'll be back as soon as possible. But I'm telling you, she won't listen to any explanations."

Back in Morroc, inside an inn, Margaretha was quietly seated in front of the bar. She was observing the other patrons merrymaking as she sipped her drink. After a few minutes a burly merchant entered the inn and sat on the stool next to hers'. The merchant sighed tiredly causing Margaretha, being taught to offer aid whenever she can, to ask what was wrong.

"Oh sorry, did I disturb you miss?" asked the merchant as he gestured at the bartender to get him a drink.

"Not at all," answered Margaretha with a warm smile. "You just seemed to have had a long day, and I'm willing to offer a listening ear if talking about it will make you feel better."

"Gosh, miss, you're too kind." After giving the bartender his order, he continued. "I thought today was just any other day. Was gonna export some supplies to the republic up north. Then, some idiot just went and broke my entire stock. When I find him... I'll…"

"I offer my condolences to you but you must not let anger bring you to violence," said Margaretha.

"Well, it wasn't just that one guy either. Some fast-talking weirdo just went up and talked to me. Gave me some papers and stuff. Told me of some exclusive club or something… When I found that there wasn't any club, he already gone and vanished with the idiot who broke my stock." The merchant stopped for a moment to down his drink in one swig and then ordered another before continuing. "Now that I think about it, those blokes might've been hired by one of my rivals! Those bastards… Uh sorry about that miss."

Margaretha nodded, her expression understanding. Someone waving at her from outside the inn caught her eye however, so she said, "Thank you for sharing your problem with me. I hope that my listening to you is enough to bring you peace." The merchant did not hear her but Margaretha did not notice. She quickly made her way past the merrymakers inside the inn and out of the front door.

"Gosh, miss you're such a good listener," said the merchant, unaware that the one he was having a conversation with had already left. "Maybe I could convince you to… er… huh?" He was surprised to see that she had disappeared. "Hm, went to the comfort room I guess." He leaned against the counter and patiently waited for her to return.

Outside of the inn, Margaretha was surprised to find someone she least expected waiting for her. "Kathryne? What are you doing here?" When the mage approached where the light from the inn was shining, Margaretha saw that she was wearing a thick ragged cloak. "…What are you wearing?" she asked.

"It's really cold out here you know, and I hate the skimpy outfits they make us wear," answered Kathryne as she tried unsuccessfully to shift the cloak she was wearing to a more comfortable position. "I heard everyone was going to meet at Morroc so I rode along with the first caravan heading this way. Just arrived."

"But I thought you were going to spend more time studying at the Mage Academy?"

"Honestly, I was hoping to study," replied Kathryne with a sigh. "…But for some reason, I recognize all the texts I found at the library. There was nothing new to find."

"Now that is just strange, didn't you tell me that that was your first time at the Geffen Academy?"

"Yeah I know. Must've come across those texts when I was younger…" She sighed once more before continuing. "And there I was, hoping to come across some new knowledge."

"But… I've been to the library at Geffen. It isn't exactly small. You can't possibly have read everything there? Didn't you check?"

"Yes, I did check everything. Took me about two hours to finish checking."

Margaretha sighed. Kathryne's disappointment outweighed her curiosity on the peculiar subject. Deciding not to pursue it any further, she asked Kathryne, "What about the others? Have you seen them?" Kathryne shook her head. "I was about to check the inn. Aren't they inside?" Margaretha answered, "No, they're not there. I checked in the inn before sundown and asked the innkeeper if they were there. He said no."

"Now that's odd…" said Kathryne thoughtfully. Before they could continue speaking, a cloaked figure from one of the alleyways appeared and spoke to them.

"I knew I'd find you here." Eremes took off his hat and approached them.

"You know, I think I've gotten used to you just sneaking up out of nowhere," said Kathryne as she made room for Eremes to face both of them. "You were always like that before, so I'm less surprised to see you do that now that you're a thief." Eremes shrugged and replied, "I'm doing a good job then."

"Aren't you going to say something to me?" asked Margaretha, interrupting the other two. Eremes, who was trying not to meet her gaze, with a lot of effort, faced her. "Um, hey Margaretha…" he said awkwardly. "I was hoping to find you as soon as I got here, but some things happened and…"

"Wow, that was definitely not the excuse I was expecting to hear," she said angrily. Eremes seemed to shrink from the glare he was getting from her. Kathryne was surveying their exchange, hardly able to stifle her giggling. The other two paid her no attention though, so she was able to get away with it.

"Listen, I'm not lying. Something did happen a while ago. Howard got knocked unconscious and Cecil and Seyren can't hang around here. It all happened so quickly, you have to believe me."

"So? Where are they?" asked Margaretha, her tone going down slightly. "Why can't they be here?"

Eremes glanced at Kathryne, whose eyes were tearing up as she covered her mouth to hold her laughter. He sighed and said, "It's late Margaretha, and I think Seyren is the best person to explain. Meet us at the entrance of town early tomorrow morning."

Margaretha asked, "Why on earth can't you explain now—" Kathryne interrupted her, saying, "Margaretha wait, I think you should let Ereme off tonight. When I got here, I heard from a couple of people that a commotion happened in town a while ago. Eremes and the others must've been caught in it."

Margeretha bit her lip before saying, "Fine, but I want a full explanation by tomorrow! She turned around and made her way back to the inn. As she was about to open the door, she asked, "So… are you going to join us Eremes?"

Eremes was startled. He quickly shook his head, "I can't just leave those guys out there in the desert so I have to get back. I promise I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning."

"Oh…" Margaretha's expression had a slight hint of disappointment as she spoke. She quickly shook it off and said, "W-Well… good night then."

"Huh? Oh uh yeah, g-good night." Margaretha re-entered the inn, apparently forgetting about Kathryne. Eremes relaxed his posture before turning to face Kathryne and asked, "Why didn't you say anything about the commotion before Margaretha got on my case?"

Kathryne shrugged and answered, "I just remembered. And besides, it was too much fun watching you two. Like a wife berating her husband for coming home late." Eremes sighed and said, "It's not funny! It was bad enough that Seyren can't come here. I didn't want to have to get Margaretha myself." Kathryne giggled, much to Eremes's irritation, and said, "You two look so cute together."

Eremes decided not to speak any more on the subject. He turned away from Kathryne and made his way back to the city entrance. "Hey, where are you going?" asked Kathryne, who quickly walked to catch up with him.

"Aren't you going to stay in the inn? Everyone else is camping out, you know," said Eremes, who quickened his pace.

Kathryne laughed and said, "Don't try to outrun me now. And don't worry about me. I can handle camping out in the desert."

"What about Margaretha?"

"Oh I don't want to bother her while she's thinking about you… "

"Oh shut up, rag-girl. You just don't want the guys inside the inn to see you like that. You'll lose face as a woman."

"R-Rag-girl?" repeated Kathryne furiously. "How rude! I'm just wearing this out of necessity! And it was the only cloak available!"

"Rag-girl!"

"Hippy!"


	11. Chapter 11 Facing The Past

Dawn had arrived. Only a tiny sliver of smoke left can be seen rising from the extinguished campfire, and some snoring can be heard over from Howard's tent. All were asleep but Eremes, who had gotten used to the staying up and needed only a few hours of sleep. He was quietly sitting in front of the campfire, staring intently at it as though counting every burnt piece of wood. Noticing that the sky had turned grey, he got up, stretched for a bit before stifling a yawn, grabbed his cloak and hat, and headed back to Morroc.

He did not find anyone at the entrance when he got there. Though he was half-expecting to find someone, he remembered that few people were up that early. He strode through the nearly empty streets, finding only a few people who had also gotten up early to do morning chores. As he passed the inn where Margaretha was staying, he stopped for a moment and raised his head to look at one of the second-storey windows. He half-expected to see Margaretha open the window and drop a chair on him. He chuckled to himself at the peculiar thought before continuing his stroll.

The palace in the middle of Morroc was nothing to scoff at. As Eremes looked at it, he noted its raw beauty: a desert rose amidst the sands. He approached one of the pillars in front of the palace and placed a hand on it. He then closed his eyes and tried to recall a younger version of himself, staring at the magnificent palace in awe, and perhaps touching the same pillar he was touching now. When no such image returned to memory, he removed his hand and sighed disappointedly. His conversation with Seyren yesterday gave him confidence that he was definitely a native of Morroc. The landscape and the buildings were familiar, but had he no real memory he can bring into mind? He turned around and walked away in a direction away from the palace.

After a few more minutes of walking, he decided that it was time to return to the entrance. He decided to take the route next to the water canal west of the palace: the route opposite the one he took. He decided this so that he may see as much of the city as possible and perhaps find something interesting. Indeed, along the way, he found something that piqued his interest: a plot of ground, with rubble blackened from fire. He remembered that there was supposed to be a building there and struggled to remember what building it was. His train of thought was interrupted however as an old man appeared next to him and spoke.

"Very sloppy Eremes," said the old man. "You need to get your head out of the clouds and focus. If I was a rogue sword, I would have slit your throat and dragged you behind a dark alley to loot your corpse."

"You… You're one of the guys from the guild," Eremes lowered his hat and bowed in respect. "But, why are you here?"

"Good question. What are you doing here?" asked the old man. He turned to face the wreckage. Eremes followed his gaze and said, "I… I'm hoping to find out why here."

"Why what? What question are you hoping to answer?" asked the old man, his expression unchanged.

Eremes glanced at the wreckage once more. "It may sound weird to you, but can I ask? Do you know me?"

The old man looked at Eremes. He bluntly replied, "I know you. You're a thief. Just became one last week."

Eremes looked at the old man once more. "Before I could speak with the one in charge, you took me aside and told me I already had what it takes to be a thief. I'm sure that you know me. So… how _do_ you know me?"

The old man laughed. He turned his back from Eremes before speaking, "I remember a stubborn young man who strode into the guild one day and demanded to become a thief. His shoulders were scratched and he had bruises on his face. He must have braved the dangers of the pyramid alone to see us."

Eremes became quiet. The old man smiled at him before continuing, "I remember a young man who disappeared one day, came back after several months a full-fledged assassin, and declared himself a hired sword of a distant company. Can you tell me who this young man is?"

Eremes closed his eyes. Many images came across his mind, most blurry and hard to make out. He can hear many familiar voices, but their words were indiscernible. None of these however, were found relevant to what the old man said so Eremes shook his head and replied, "Who is this young man you're talking about? I do not know him."

The old man sighed. "I see," he said quietly. "Perhaps I haven't gone far back enough. An old man can only remember so far."

Eremes faced the wreckage once more. He asked, "What happened here? I remember that there was a building here."

"Ahh, not just any building," said the old man, turning to face Eremes. "This was once the home of a small family." The old man turned his gaze to the sky. "I remember a strong young woman. Her long slender hair and beautiful face caused many men to fall beneath her. My daughter…" For a moment, his expression had a hint of sadness that quickly disappeared. "I often voiced out my concern over her welfare. I kept telling her that if she was to marry, she must act more ladylike. Imagine my shock when she became a swordsman."

"Your daughter was a swordsman?" asked Eremes. The old man nodded and continued.

"I believed that she would never marry then. I must have been quite old-fashioned then, because I was wrong. I now remember a young man: a junior of mine from the guild. He managed to do what many had failed to do. He brought out the lady inside her."

Eremes turned to face the old man, his attention now focused on him.

"They had a child: the young man of which I mentioned earlier," The old man gave Eremes a meaningful glance, which Eremes could not understand. The old man continued. "Such happiness did not last however, for the boy's father was slain in duty five years after his birth."

"You speak of the man in question dying during his duty?" asked Eremes.

"Yes," answered the old man with a nod. "He was slain during one of the expeditions inside one of the pyramids close to Morroc. …My daughter was never the same after that."

"Wait, can you tell me more about this man?" asked Eremes curiously. The old man's words caused a stir within his mind.

"You want to know more about him? He was a good fellow. Like I said, he was my junior back in the guild. He would've taught you himself if he hadn't died."

"Can you… describe him?"

The old man faced Eremes and looked him straight in the eye. Eremes met his gaze and as he did so, he noticed something about the old man's eyes. They were familiar to him; almost as though he saw those eyes everyday. Before he could give it more thought however, the old man spoke once more.

"You are the splitting image of that man."

The world seemed to slow down around Eremes as memories flooded back into his mind. He closed his eyes as a voice spoke to his mind.

"When you remember the reasons why you have been reborn, your true potential will be unlocked," said the voice. "You were reborn to have the chance to come to terms with your own past: a past that you had almost forgotten. Now, you must face it head on, and accept it." As the voice finished speaking, its last words echoed within Eremes's mind.

When Eremes reopened his eyes, he found himself, still standing where he was. Yet something was different. He turned around and he squinted as the rays of the sun glared on to his eyes. He realized it was almost noon. When he turned back to where he was facing before, he found that the burnt plot of ground was no longer there. Instead, there was a house. Eremes now recognized that house as his house, and he quickly entered. As soon as he got in, a red-haired woman who was sitting on a chair in the living room quickly got up and ran towards him. Before Eremes could get a good look at her face however, she had already thrown her arms around him and held him closely to her chest.

"I missed you son…" said the Eremes's mother tearfully. "How have they been treating you? Have you been eating right?"

"M-Mom…" said Eremes uncomfortably before his mother squeezed him even tighter. He closed his eyes and allowed his mother to hold him. Her warmth was something he could not simply give up. After a several minutes though, he convinced his mother to let him go. He looked at his mother's face and saw her gentle expression, her beautiful green eyes, her smile and her long red hair. He had never has such a detailed image of her in his memories. He wanted to burn her image into his mind so that he may never forget again.

"Mom, where is… Egnigem?" he asked uncertainly.

"Your sister?" His mother slowly returned to her chair and sat down. She motioned at Eremes to sit in front of her. "I couldn't convince her otherwise. She left for Izlude to become a swordsman. 'She wanted to be like me', she said." His mother coughed, causing him to become alarmed and stand up. His mother, seeing his expression, smiled and said, "It's nothing Eremes, just a slight cough." Eremes, though unconvinced, sat back down. "I heard from your grandfather. You'll be heading to the Pyramids tomorrow right?"

"Grandfather?" Eremes shook his head, trying to recall. He could not remember any grandfather, but he did remember going on a trip to the Pyramids. "Y-Yes…" he said, trying unsuccessfully to remember the details. He stared down as his hands and found them bandaged. He started as he realized that he was wearing full assassin gear. He did not notice he was wearing it; it was almost as though it was already an extension of his skin. He shook his head once more, deciding to address this peculiarity later. "Mom, can you tell me something… about dad?" he asked.

"Your father… he left didn't he?" she replied, turning to face away from Eremes. "I'm sorry Eremes, I don't want to talk about your father right now."

Eremes remembered about his stepfather because of this, but decided to find out about this later. He shook his head and told his mother, "No, not him… I'm talking about _my _father."

"O-Oh. Your father…" Eremes saw that her expression brightened. He interpreted this as a good thing so he pressed his question. "I can't remember any stories you told me about dad. Can you please tell me?"

"Your father… He was a good man," His mother gazed at Eremes. "He was a bit cocky and he loved adventure. When I met him, I thought he was just another thief, aiming to mislead me for a quick zeny. It took me a while to see that he was sincere though."

"I'm not sure if you know this, but I was different back when I was younger. I think people called me a tomboy back then. Your grandfather can tell you more." She chuckled as she recalled her younger days. "And then some boy fresh from the Thieves' Guild comes to me and asks me out. You can probably imagine how I reacted back then. He was stubborn, but I kept shrugging off his advances."

"Then one day, I went hunting somewhere in the desert, in a cave full of ants. I didn't usually hunt there but I was fulfilling a request for raw materials. I got a bit too cocky though and explored deeper than I had planned."

"I saw the biggest ant I've ever seen. I think it was the queen. She was bearing down on me when suddenly, he appeared." She closed her eyes fondly at the memory. "He told me that he would hold her off while I escape. I told him that he was an idiot and that I was more likely to survive than he was. Before we could argue over it though, he pushed me out of the way and I was forced to run before the ants swarmed on me."

"I waited for him to come back out at the entrance. I was worried, but back then I would never have admitted that. After a couple of hours, someone sent me a message that he was already back at Morroc, having a drink at the tavern!" Eremes could not help but snicker as he imagined his mother making his way to the tavern in Morroc and slamming the pommel of her sword into his father's forehead. "Well… I was going to punish him for making me wait, but when I went to see him, he was all covered in bruises. He had a particularly nasty one on his right shoulder." His mother shuddered as she recalled the image. "He wouldn't look at me then, saying that he didn't want me to see him like that… I never left him alone again after that, and after some happenings and whatnot, we ended up getting married. And I guess the rest is history."

Eremes closed his eyes after his mother finished her story. He smiled as he imagined how his father was like based on his mother's story. Hearing about his father filled what felt like a hole in his life. He reopened his eyes when his mother continued speaking.

"You know, I always found it strange that though you two look almost alike, you have opposite personalities. But his personality did mellow a bit after you were born."

"Me and dad looked alike?"

"Yes! I think the only thing you inherited from me were your eyes…"

"My eyes?" Eremes looked around for a mirror. Did his eyes really look like his mother's? He had not heard that before.

"Well, I think I told you everything about your father that I think you wanted to know..."

"Wait mom," Eremes suddenly remembered an important thing he wanted to know. "How did dad die?"

His mother looked stunned. She looked away from him. Eremes however, did not want to lose this chance and did not tear away his gaze from her. When his mother realized that Eremes would not simply let the question go, she answered, "He died in an expedition to the Pyramids. He died protecting you."

"W-What?"

"I knew that aspect of him would kill him someday. But I can't be angry with him. I guess the man I loved is the sort of person who'd die protecting his own son." She sighed. She looked at Eremes and saw that he seemed to be confused. "You… don't remember do you?

"Wait… wait let me try to remember."

Eremes closed his eyes once more and tried to recall a memory of his father. His mother told him that he and his father looked alike so he tried to base his thoughts on what he remembered he looked like. The blurry images in his mind seemed to clear as he did so, and he got a somewhat clear image of his father. He indeed looked like him. He had the same shock of blue hair as Eremes and even the same expression. The only noticeable difference was his father's brown eyes. Eremes recalled that his eyes were green.

When Eremes reopened his eyes, he found himself in a dimly lit corridor. A single torch was above where he was seated. He looked to his left and saw distant wisps of yellow. He thought that they must be other torches. Suddenly, a one of the distant lights became bigger, and the sound of bare feet on running on stone became louder. Eremes readied himself for what manner of creature might come but then as the light of the torch above him revealed what was coming, he relaxed his stance. The source of the noise was only a child carrying a small torch. The child, panting for breath, slowed down and stopped running just next to where Eremes was standing. Eremes was unsure of whether the child could see him or not so he decided not to do anything. However he found it strange that a child, with ragged clothing he observed, is deep within the pyramid. When the child raised his head to look at the torch above Eremes, Eremes realized that the child was actually a younger version of himself. Because of this revelation, Eremes concluded that he must be recalling a memory that he had long forgotten. Before he could think on it further however, the child had wiped the sweat of his brow and started running again, passing through him. Eremes nearly fell backward as his younger self passed through him. He looked over his shoulder to see the torch carried by his younger self slowly dim until it was a yellow wisp once more before getting up. He tried to reach for the torch that was above him, and found that he could not touch it. Apparently, he could not interact physically with anything in this memory. But before, why was he able to touch, to embrace his mother, if she was also only a memory?

Eremes felt someone rush past him, and as he looked over, he saw the back of another thief running towards the direction his younger disappeared to. "Dad?" he thought. Determined to find out what will happen, he quickly followed. However, as soon as he took a step, the scene around him dissolved. "Not yet damn it," he said to himself as he closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he found himself in front of his mother once more. She was standing over him and her expression was a worried one.

"Are you alright Eremes?" she asked in a worried tone. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

"No, s-sorry, it's nothing mom," replied Eremes as he clutched his head. For some reason, he seemed to have gotten a headache. He was determined however, to figure out what exactly happened to his dad so he shook it off and asked his mother, "Mom, I just remembered. I did go to the pyramids when I was younger but I can't remember why."

"You can't remember…?" Eremes's mother straightened up and returned to her seat. "I guess your grandfather really put you through your paces if you forgot." She looked outside the window and saw that dusk was falling. "You'll be early tomorrow right? I know your friends are waiting for you at the inn. You should get going…" She started coughing once more. She waved off Eremes as he approached her and tried to get a better look at her. "I told you this is nothing…"

Eremes bit his lip as his mother walked away from the living room. His mother's condition was far from good. Why could he not remember that? And as for his father, there was more that he needed to know. Many questions were still needed to be answered, but fearing for his mother's health, he decided to hold them for now. He stared at his bandaged hands and tried fruitlessly to recall why it felt so familiar to be wearing assassin gear when he had never been an assassin.

"Do you really wish to know?" called a voice from Eremes's mind. This voice was different from what he heard before. The voice he heard before was soft and clearly female, but this one was rough and belonging to a male. "Try to remember then, where you started all over."

"Started all over?" repeated Eremes. He did not know what the voice was talking about.

"It will all become clear if you just try hard enough to remember."

Eremes breathed deeply and closed his eyes once more. He tried to recall as far as he can. He tried to bring forth the clearest memory he can remember. A very recent memory came to his mind, only a few months back. When he reopened his eyes, he found himself standing on a field next to a forest. Though unrecognizable at first, upon looking around he found the rear entrance of Prontera Castle.

"This is the north Prontera field…" said Eremes to himself. This is the earliest memory he can recall very clearly. Beyond this was a blank. A familiar voice from behind a bush caught his attention. When he looked over, he saw himself, wearing novice garb, speaking to another novice with white hair. "This is where, I first met Seyren. Then he introduced me to the others…" His head started to hurt once more. Was this truly where he first met Seyren and the others?

"This is as far as you can remember I see…" said the voice from before. Eremes turned away from the two conversing and tried to clear his thoughts. The voice continued. "Understandable. You have only taken the first step in unlocking your past. If you wish to continue, then you must return to where you started over."

Eremes thought hard, as though hoping the voice within his head would respond to his thoughts. _"You keep saying 'where I started over'. What are you talking about?"_ he thought. The voice responded as Eremes expected. "Think back a little harder then you will know."

Eremes silently cursed to himself. He had enough of the voice speaking in riddles. However even as he was thinking about that, another image formed in his mind: the image of a floating city. _"This must be Juno!" _thought Eremes. But how can the image of Juno form in his mind when he had never even been there. …Or had he? The voice spoke once more.

"Return to where you started over and all will be made clear."

When Eremes opened his eyes, he found himself meeting the gaze of the old man once more. Eremes shook his head to clear his mind, and when he looked over his shoulder, the smoldering ruin of what was once his house was there once more. What he had experienced, was it truly just a memory?

"Is there something wrong Eremes?" asked the old man. "I lost you for a minute there."

Eremes faced the old man once more. He stared at the old man's eyes. They were quite familiar. Eremes closed his eyes once more as images flooded his mind once more. The image of his mother and father were finally clear to him after all this time. Whether or not what he experienced was real or a memory, what mattered is that he could finally recall their faces. But there was still more to find out, more questions to be answered. He reopened his eyes and found that the old man had not removed his gaze from him.

"Do you remember what I said to you…?" asked the old man uncertainly. Eremes nodded. The old man turned his back on him once more. "You know, I admit, before last week, I didn't give a Sandman's ass about the talk of gods and whatnot. Seeing you here however, changed that. I don't know what kind of… 'divine intervention' took place, but I can recognize my own when I see him." He laughed heartily. Eremes nodded, finally understanding. "You look a bit younger though, but whatever, it is still good to see you alright. But judging from your face, you still have a lot to remember."

"You're right, there is a lot I need to remember," replied Eremes in agreement. "I wouldn't have figured it out without your help. There's a lot I want to ask you… but that can wait for now."

"You never were one to sit still, my boy. Well then, go. And come back safely you hear?"

"Thanks… granpa."

Eremes quickly hid his expression with the shadow of his hat before walking away from the old man. The old man laughed once more before shouting after him. "I taught you all you know about fighting! Don't think you can hide your silly 'glad' expression from me! When you come back, I'll regale you with tales of your mother for as long as you want!"

Eremes smiled to himself. Wandering in the desert without a purpose seemed a like a thing of the past to him now. He had left the desert and found a purpose to seek out. Now he will seek it out without stopping, until he finds the truth.


	12. Chapter 12 The Huntress's Challenge

By the time Eremes returned to the city's north entrance, everyone else was already there. Seyren waved at him as he approached. "I didn't expect that you'll get here after us," said Seyren as Eremes stopped in front of him. "You were already gone from camp when we woke up. Where did you go?"

"Just went around to reminisce and stuff," replied Eremes with a shrug. Seyren sighed before saying, "Sooner or later someone's going to steal all your stuff while your head is in the clouds." Eremes waved off the comment before checking behind Seyren. Behind him, Cecil and Kathryne were talking to each other. They nodded at Eremes as he looked at them. Not too far behind them was Howard, struggling as he carried all of their camp equipment. "So we're all here except Margaretha, huh?" asked Eremes.

"Oh yeah she's probably up late last night, dreaming about you Eremes," said Cecil with a snicker. ""Oh Eremes… not there…"" she said, mimicking Margaretha's voice. Kathryne giggled as Eremes looked at Cecil exasperatedly. They were interrupted however, when Howard started berating Eremes.

"Hey, man it aint cool how you just went and left all your stuff back at camp," said Howard as he struggled to remain upright. "The girls here are slave-drivers! They made me carry everyone's stuff! Making poor me their packmule…"

"Oh shut up Howard," said Cecil as she smacked on his luggage, causing him to nearly tip over. "You should be thankful that two beautiful women allowed you to carry their belongings."

"I would be if two actually 'beautiful' women did give me—Ah!" Howard nearly toppled over as Cecil smacked him on the side. He barely managed to keep his load from falling. "Well, you're not bad at all," said Cecil, commenting on Howard's balancing skills. "You should change your job profile from 'merchant' to 'professional packmule'." Howard grunted his disapproval. Eremes shook his head before saying, "Howard, shouldn't you get a cart or something?" Howard stopped short before quickly digging through his right pocket with his free hand. He pulled out a crumbled cart coupon which he excitedly waved around for the others to see before wandering off to look for the nearest Kafra.

"You know… he could have left the equipment here…" said Eremes when Howard had disappeared past a corner. Cecil shook her head before saying, "You know that coupon he showed us? He had that even before he became a merchant. Took him long enough to remember it."

"Why didn't you remind him?"

"Well, it was more fun waiting for him to remember."

"Well, that's enough of that, guys," said Seyren. "We need to figure out our next plan of action." The other three nodded in agreement. Kathryne made the first suggestion. "I suggest we get an assignment and earn some money. The trip here has cost me nearly all of my savings."

"We could also hunt monsters and have Howard sell the spoils…" suggested Cecil. "But then again… he hates sitting around for hours waiting for someone to buy…"

"Actually I was hoping if we could go to Juno," said Eremes. The others looked at him surprised. "Juno?" repeated Seyren. "Why do you want to go there?"

"…I figured some things out about myself," said Eremes before staring at his hands once more. "I've felt really strange since I became a thief, and I believe I can find out why when I go there."

"Well… Juno does have an extensive selection of tomes…" said Kathryne thoughtfully. Eremes looked at her, hoping to garner her support but she added, "But we can't afford to get there. I think a trip is 1k a head... I think on peak seasons it becomes almost 5k a head."

"She's right Eremes," said Seyren. "…I don't know how important this is to you, but it'll have to wait. Are you alright with that?" This left Eremes lost for words. He needed answers, but he could not jeopardize his friends to pursue a vision he himself was not sure of. He nodded and answered, "Yeah, your right. Let's find some work first."

"Oh, we could go hunting back in Payon Forest!" said Cecil excitedly. "Hunting around the forest is what we do best there..." She looked dazed for a moment, causing the others to look at her curiously. When she saw the others looking at her, she started and quickly waved them off, asking, "W-What are you guys looking at?"

"I just realized," said Seyren thoughtfully. "Nobody was with you when you went to Payon to become an archer right?"

"Huh? Yeah, so?"

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all…" she replied unconvincingly. Seyren decided not to press her further and simply asked, "So we hunt at Payon. Who will be paying us?"

Cecil, seemingly relieved at the change of subject, eagerly replied, "The master pays adventuring parties who hunt around the area. This is especially useful for those just starting out."

"Alright, we'll go there as soon as Margaretha gets here." As soon as he finished speaking, the acolyte was already running towards them from around the corner. "Oh look, there she is."

"Sorry I'm late everyone!" shouted Margaretha as she was nearing them. She stopped short next to Eremes and smiled at him. Eremes looked away, nonplussed. Margaretha then turned her attention to Kathryne before bowing her head. "Sorry about last night Kathryne! I forgot about you…"

"Haha don't worry about it Margaretha," replied Kathryne with a smile. "The circumstances last night were understandable. Besides, it's more fun camping out with everyone else."

"I would've gone with you if I hadn't already paid for my stay…"

"Well, you'll just have to give your best today as compensation."

"Yes, I'll do my best," she replied gladly. "I haven't any experience supporting a party of six before, so please be patient with me."

"I'm pretty sure you'll do a good job Margaretha," said Seyren. "I can't imagine anyone else being our support. Anyway, Eremes aren't you going to say something?" Eremes started before saying, "Um yeah, good morning Margaretha."

"Well aren't you the initiative one," said Margaretha in a sweet voice, but Eremes knew better. "I hope we'll be able to work well together," said Eremes, carefully making sure that his words did not sound strange. Margaretha smiled at him once more before turning to Seyren and asking, "So what's the plan?"

"Well as soon as Howard gets back, we'll be headed to Payon to get an assignment," answered Seyren. Margaretha nodded and said, "I'm a bit nervous though, we haven't done this before." Seyren said reassuringly, "We should be fine, I mean how hard can it be?" The five of them conversed for a while longer until Howard returned, cart in tow. After they had made sure of their bearings, they immediately departed Morroc, taking a caravan's trail towards Payon.

The trip was largely uneventful. Nearly a quarter of the way there, a travelling merchant allowed the group to hitch a ride on his wagon for a modest fee. Eremes was seated near the entrance of the covered wagon, quietly observing the distant city behind them slowly fade from view. He will come back to see his grandfather when he has resolved his own issues. The thoughts running through his mind left a strange expression on his face, causing Kathryne, who was seated next to him, to stare. It took Eremes quite a while to notice her gaze.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked. Kathryne shook her head before pulling herself up next to him. "You always look like that Eremes," she said. "Always looking like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. You need to really lighten up."

"Haha, sorry," said Eremes. For some reason, he felt quite comfortable speaking with Kathryne. "I was just wondering when I'll be able to get to Juno."

"Well you could've gone ahead if you wanted," said Kathryne. Eremes looked at her and said, "And leave you guys? Not a chance." Kathryne laughed softly before speaking. "You know… all six of us… It feels like we've known each other forever huh?"

"Yeah, you're right," said Eremes as he looked outside once more. Indeed, from the moment he met them, he felt quite close and familiar with them. He did not find it peculiar, at least not nearly as peculiar as his missing memory. How strange it may seem, his friendship with them was something he was sure of and need not contemplate on.

"So are you going to tell me why you want to go to Juno?" asked Kathryne. Eremes wondered for a moment if he could word his reason in a way that did not sound too strange. "Can I ask you something before I answer that?" asked Eremes. He waited for Kathryne to nod before he continued. "Have you ever felt like part of your memory is missing?"

"Really? No, not at all," answered Kathryne. Eremes scratched his head before continuing. "Well you see, I've been wondering since the day I returned to Morroc if I really hailed from there."

"Well where else would you come from? Looking at your complexion, I could already tell from the start that you are from Morroc," said Kathryne. Eremes sighed as he noted her observation skills and cultural knowledge. "The point is," he said. "I wasn't really sure if I really lived in Morroc before I met all of you. I couldn't remember who my parents were or where my actual house was."

"I had a look around Morroc this morning, before meeting up with you guys. I met my grandfather right where I used to live." Eremes looked up at the clouds as though picturing the meeting with his grandfather. "He helped me remember a lot of things."

"Your grandpa huh…" Kathryne looked thoughtful for a moment. "So your parents…"

"Huh, I haven't told you yet?" Eremes felt as though she should have already known this. "I lost my dad when I was really young. As for my mother… No I'd rather not think about that." Eremes looked away from her. "Oh… sorry for bringing that up," said Kathryne apologetically. Eremes waved her off saying, "It's no trouble. I'm just glad you listen."

Kathryne started as something bumped her thigh. Margaretha was dozing next to her and had turned abruptly. "She looks really cute when she's asleep doesn't she?" she asked to Eremes with a meaningful smile. Eremes glanced at Margaretha's sleeping face and merely commented, "I wonder how much sleep she got back at the inn."

"Oh, come on. Don't change the subject."

The two of them continued to bicker while Cecil looked on from the other end of the covered wagon. She smiled to herself before glancing at Howard who was also asleep, his back turned against her. Silly moments like this, she thought, are rare and precious. She then quietly laughed at herself for thinking that, believing it was something an old woman would say. "Payon… It's been a while," she said to herself. A part of her was reluctant to return, and this reluctance was increased by the fact that her friends were accompanying her. She felt like she should speak about this with someone, with Howard perhaps but he was asleep, to get rid of her reluctance.

"Hey Cecil, what are you thinking about?" asked Kathryne suddenly from the other end of the room. This sudden question startled Cecil and caused her to accidentally kick Howard's back, knocking him over. To her relief, Howard did not wake up. He merely grunted before turning his back on Cecil once more. She quietly laughed to herself again as she thought, "Howard must be really used to that by now…" She carefully got up as to not fall over anything else in the wagon and slowly made her way towards Kathryne and Eremes. She sat down just opposite Margaretha's sleeping figure.

"You really have to stick your face in other people's business huh?" asked Cecil with a grin. Kathryne smiled at her and answered, "Well you would never tell us unless I take the initiative."

"Well it isn't anything big but I just feel really strange going back there," said Cecil uncertainly. "Payon I mean. It's… been a long while."

"But didn't you go there to become an archer just a little over a week ago?" asked Kathryne.

"Well… yeah." Cecil rested her head between her knees and recalled what happened during her last visit to Payon.

* * *

"Who… are you?" asked the man behind the counter. Cecil looked at him curiously. It was not a question she expected to hear from the person in charge of assigning new archers. She looked on nervously as the man looked at her more closely. "You can't be… Miss Cecil is that you?" he asked in a very surprised voice. Cecil started and nearly fell backward from the sudden outburst. "Y-Yeah, that's my name," she began to say. "But how do you know that?"

"But… you can't be her…"

Cecil pulled herself together to try and address the man's peculiar behaviour. "Excuse me," she said, interrupting the man's train of thought. "First you ask me if I'm Cecil, then you blabber on how I'm not. What is going on here?" The man looked at her once more before quickly grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the building. "Ow, hey you're hurting me!" protested Cecil. Just outside the building was an archery range. The man dragged Cecil by the hand until they were about a few minutes in front of a training target. As soon as they stopped, Cecil wrenched her hand away from the man's grip and massaged it, asking, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The man ignored her and took a bow leaning on a fence near them and offered it to Cecil. Cecil, though a bit angry at the man, thought this might be part of the archery test. She quickly grabbed the bow and stared at it. A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she did so. She felt her hands over the limbs of the bow, really feeling every curve. She then touched the bowstring and noted its tough elasticity. She was mesmerized on how amazing the bow felt like and forgot her anger. But strangely, the feeling of holding the bow was very familiar to her. Because of her focus on the bow, it took more than a few seconds for her to realize that the man in front of her was trying to get her attention.

"I need to confirm something, miss," said the man as he pulled an arrow from the quiver behind his back. He handed it to Cecil, who accepted quickly. "Please try to get the bulls-eye on that training target over there." He gestured at one of the circular training target to their side.

Cecil nodded and turned to face the target. As she readied her bow and arrow, she felt strangely happy. As she aimed at the target, her vision narrowed, focusing solely on the target's bulls-eye. Sure enough, when she released her arrow, her aim was true. The arrow hit the mark and she slowly returned to reality. The man looked from her to the target and asked her, "Are you truly just a novice starting out?"

"I…" Cecil's words trailed off. The man continued speaking. "It is nearly impossible for a novice who has not even held a bow and arrow before to hit the bulls-eye on her first attempt." He glanced at her trembling hand gripping the bow. "You hold the bow with efficiency and grace. I don't know anyone else who holds the bow in such a way other than Miss Cecil."

Cecil looked down. When she met with everyone back in Prontera, she remembered that she proudly declared herself a native of Payon and a novice aspiring to be an archer. She also remembered saying that she had just arrived from Payon. But strangely, when she set foot in Payon, she did not recognize the place. Sure, the memories of the mountains the forest and bamboo were there but the houses and everything else were a blur. Nevertheless, she took it all in stride and proceeded immediately to the Archer's Guild in the far end of the village. Now she is unsure of herself, of her own memory.

"Miss Cecil, you must see the village elder," said the man, causing Cecil to raise her head. The village elder, she thought. The person felt vaguely familiar.

The man guided her to the village elder's house just south of the guild and gestured at her to come inside. As Cecil stepped inside, she realized that everything about the house felt familiar. The ornaments lining the walls, the sound of the creaky wooden floor, even the scent of incense all felt familiar to her. The man lead her to a room far in the back of the house, and when he was about to slide the door open, she suddenly felt scared. The man noticed her expression and assured her that she had nothing to worry about.

The man slid the door open and Cecil saw an old man kneeling before an altar. She felt as though she had seen this many times before. When she gazed around the room, she saw a falcon on a perch in one of the corners of the room. The falcon screeched when Cecil's gaze fell on it and she felt very frightened. The falcon then left the perch and flew, passing over her, through the open door. Before the falcon could pass over her, Cecil was kneeling forward with her hands over her head and her face close to the ground. What was this fear that she felt? Cecil slowly raised her head and looked around. She found that the man was gazing at her with an apologetic expression. "I'm really sorry Miss Cecil. I forgot that you were afraid of falcons," he said.

"Cecil?"

The old man praying in front of them spoke so suddenly that he startled the two of them. He slowly turned to face Cecil. Their eyes met and Cecil realized that she knew this man. But for some reason she could not remember how.

"You… You're Cecil…" the elder closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "You don't look a day older since you first left Payon years ago…"

"I… what?" asked Cecil uncertainly. 'Years ago?' she thought.

The man next to her asked the village elder, "How can this be, elder? This is indeed Miss Cecil. I tested her skill with the bow myself. …But what matter of unnatural force is this? She looks no older than the day she left!"

Cecil merely listened to the exchange with her thoughts racing. She could not understand what they were talking about. The elder scratched his chin curiously as he focused his gaze on Cecil once more.

"Cecil, do you know who I am?" he asked. Cecil quickly answered, "The village elder." Cecil realized too late that her question must have been to direct. She thought that maybe the elder meant something else. Indeed, he asked another question being unsatisfied with her answer. "Who am I to you?"

"Who are you… to me?" repeated Cecil. Of course, every villager who lived in Payon knew and respected the elder. But somehow, Cecil thought this was not the answer he expected. "I don't know…" she answered, being unable to think of a better answer.

"You don't know?" The elder got up and motioned at Cecil to do the same. He surveyed Cecil from head to toe as she got up. "You look shorter than when you left," he commented, confusing Cecil once more.

"What are you two talking about? What do you mean when I left?" asked Cecil angrily, her patience wearing thin. The man behind Cecil began to tell her to keep her voice down but the elder held up a hand to stop him. "I have no doubt now that you are indeed our Cecil."

"Do you truly not remember me? Many years ago, I took you as my own and gave you a home."

"You… did?" Cecil was dumbfounded. But now that he mentioned it, Cecil had faint memories of being raised in a loving home, but no memories of her parents.

"You can't remember that as well? Then let me help you remember. …Where should I begin…?"

The old man got down once more but crossed his legs instead of kneeling. He looked deep in thought. Cecil felt as though she saw this scene many times before as well.

"Over fifteen years ago, a boy brought you here. He was a very ragged-looking and thin young lad. You were unconscious then when he carried you here. He claimed to have found you in the forest, in a clearing near the caravan's trail to Alberta. I was rather impressed that he managed to carry you here, he really looked like he was struggling to stay on his feet." The elder stopped for a moment to let Cecil try to remember. Cecil found that revelation interesting, though thinking back, she found no memory of the event. "Well I'm not actually surprised that you can't remember," said the elder, interrupting her train of thought. "Like I said, you were unconscious back then. He was long gone when you came to. I tried to make him stay but he shook his head, saying that he can never be a real man unless he provided for his own. It was strange hearing that from someone as young as him, but his eyes told me I could not convince him otherwise."

"After you woke up, you told me that you could not remember your name or where you came from. The only clue I had back then was this." He held up a small armlet with the word 'Damon' engraved in it. "I found this on you back then. I do not know what 'Damon' means, but I assume that this armlet is part of your heritage." Cecil took the armlet from him and looked at it more closely. As her fingers passed through the engraving, the sound of voices from a distant memory filled her mind. She shook them off when the elder continued speaking. "I decided that it was inappropriate as a first name for a young lady, so I named you after my late daughter."

"S-So you mean…?"

"Do you remember now?"

Cecil closed her eyes and struggled to remember. Many images came to her mind but they were muddled and obscure. Though she could not be too sure of it, she believed that the elder must have raised her. Why would he lie to her? But if so, and this happened many years ago, why does she appear young to them?

"When exactly did this happen?" she asked.

"I can't remember exactly…" said the elder. At this the man behind Cecil spoke. "It was around nineteen years ago."

"Hm, yes. And then you left four years ago… Like he said earlier, you look as young as the day you left Payon to work in the republic up north."

"I did?..."

"Where are your friends now?" asked the elder. "You were quite attached to them. Did something happen to them?"

"W-Who are they? Who are those friends you're talking about?"

The elder blinked at her. He seemed to be contemplating his answer. "You return to Payon after many years, looking no older than you left. Then you come to me with no memory of who I am or who your friends are…"

"Something must have happened in Lighthalzen!" exclaimed the man behind Cecil. "We must inform the knights of Prontera! Something is amiss."

"Calm down my friend. Though it appears something did happen in the Republic for this to happen, we must avoid any rash actions. Do you want to start a war?" The elder got up and paced back and forth in front of Cecil. Before Cecil could say something, he spoke once more. "We must avoid military action. But an investigation is in order. I may have to bring this matter to the Prontera Knights after all…"

"Wait! Please, wait!" said Cecil. Though unsure of herself because of what she learned from the elder, she believed that it was not something she should handle by herself. "Don't do anything please. I know it sounds strange, but if what you said is true, that I'm the same Cecil Damon that you raised, please let me handle this."

"You were always one to take matters to your own hands, child, but this is not something I can simply ignore," replied the elder firmly. "You told me you can't remember your friends. They aren't with you, so something must have happened to them. It is imperative that we find out what happened to them."

"W-Wait," said Cecil, struggling for words. "Before you say anything else, can you tell me who these people are? The ones you say are my friends?"

The old man answered, "There were six of you: including you, there was a knight, an assassin, a wizard, a priestess and a blacksmith. What were their names again…?"

Cecil blinked. She could not think of any group of people that fit the description given by the elder. The elder looked at her and said, "You are supposed to be a huntress. But you come before me as a novice. I really could not understand why that is."

"I was a huntress?" Cecil sounded surprised at the notion. "But I…" She shook her head to herself. If she was to convince the elder, she must not sound unsure. "I want to remember for myself, elder. Please allow me to find my friends on my own."

The elder gazed at her carefully. Cecil met his gaze, determined to follow through with her decision. The elder then sighed and said, "I could not win over you in arguments like this. Very well, I will allow you some time to find your friends. But you must be back here within two weeks, or else I will follow through with sending a message to the knights."

Cecil gulped. How was she supposed to locate people she could barely remember in the span of two weeks?

"You still look uncertain. Do you change your mind?"

"N-No!" she said firmly, pushing her uncertainty aside. "I'll find them, you'll see!"

"Alright then."

The elder motioned at the man behind Cecil to approach him. When the man reached him, the elder whispered something to him, to which the man nodded. The man then approached Cecil and said, "As the trainer in charge of new archers, I recognize you as an archer of Payon. Now go make us proud."

Cecil looked from the man to the elder, as though trying to affirm what just happened. They both nodded at her. Cecil looked stunned for a moment before saying, "Um, thanks. Feels weird but… well, thanks."

"Somehow seeing you like this… Reminds me of the day my daughter came back with a child," said the elder fondly. He approached the altar where he was praying at a while ago and carefully retrieved a box from underneath it. He then quietly asked the trainer to leave. The man nodded and bowed out of the room. Cecil looked over her shoulder to watch the man leave before the elder coughed to get her attention.

"Despite what I said before about you looking the same as the day you left, you… feel different," he said. "It feels as though you've changed. I believe that even though you can't remember them yet, your friends must have changed you somehow, and that change has brought you here."

"Really?" asked Cecil. Deciding to play along with what he said, she asked, "So what was I like before?"

"Selfish, arrogant and violent."

Cecil's face contorted as she tried unsuccessfully to hide her irritation at the blunt remark. The elder laughed before saying, "Well maybe not as much as you think I meant, but the important thing is, you seem to have matured."

"Take this. This was supposed to be a gift for my daughter."

"R-Really?" Cecil looked inside the box the elder was holding and saw a set of folded archer garb, complete with a chestguard. It was differently-colored from the standard archer gear. "But this was for your daughter right? I really shouldn't…"

"You really have forgotten, haven't you? You're as much my daughter as she was," said the elder in a warm voice. Cecil felt his warmth wash over him. She gladly accepted the gift before bowing and running out of the room. "Your room is to the right in case you forget!" shouted the elder.

* * *

She was still unsure of herself, despite her determined front. The warmth she felt from her friends was real, no doubt about it, but what if she was wrong? Will the elder follow through with his decision? "_Of course, he would_," muttered Cecil to herself. They did not fit the elder's description, but Cecil had a thought. The elder claims that for whatever reason she became younger and lost her memories. So what if her friends experienced the same thing? "_But isn't that a bit too convenient…_" she thought. She bit her lip as she struggled to find a point of view on her decision that would quiet her.

"Are you alright Cecil? You really look like you're in some sort of trouble?" asked Kathryne once more. "Or did something happen back in Payon that you're not telling us about?"

Cecil was startled by Kathryne's perceptiveness. "Spot on Kathryne!" she thought to herself, quietly congratulating Kathryne. "But I can't tell you yet!"

"No, nothing happened," she said trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Liar," said Eremes, still facing away from the two of them.

"You're bad at lying Cecil. Almost as bad as Howard," said Kathryne, shaking her head. Cecil gulped and quickly retorted, "Listen, it isn't anything you guys ought to worry about! Just let me handle things…" She waited for quite a while for an opportunity to convince everyone to come to Payon with her and she was not about to give that up now.

"If you say so…" said Kathryne. "I guess we should trust you. Right Eremes?" Eremes merely grunted in reply. Kathryne took this as an affirmation.

"Y-Yeah. Just leave it to me."

"Oh, just let Seyren know as soon as we get there," added Kathryne.

After what seemed like years to Cecil, they finally arrived at their destination. Seyren, who was seated with the merchant during the entire trip, thanked the merchant before heading off to meet with the others already at the entrance to the village. "So where do we go Cecil?"

"U-Um, let me talk to the elder first. There's something I need to ask him."

"The elder a friend of yours?"

"You could say he's like a father to me," she replied, almost sounding proud. "Anyway, I'll lead the way." As she took the first step past the village boundary, Cecil took a deep breath. "_Hopefully, I've hit the mark_," she thought to herself.


	13. Chapter 13 A Huntress's Fear

Cecil led the party to the entrance of the elder's house. Seyren was about to take a step inside when Cecil stopped him. "I want to speak with the elder. Alone," she said firmly. Seyren nodded and stepped aside. Cecil gave a quick nod to everyone else before opening the sliding doors and shutting them behind her.

"That's unusual," commented Seyren. "Cecil usually doesn't take charge like that."

"Well she said that the elder is like her father," said Margaretha. "Perhaps she wanted to see him first. She might've not had the chance when she came here to become an archer."

"Hm, maybe."

"It's good to know that she has family here in Payon at least," continued Margaretha. To this statement, everyone else fell silent. "…Did I say something wrong?" she asked, noticing the change in atmosphere. "Now that I think about it, only Cecil ever mentioned having family back in Prontera..."

Kathryne, recalling what Eremes had spoken to her about, whispered to Margaretha quietly, "Margaretha, family is a sensitive topic for Eremes. I suggest that we avoid touching on that for now…" Instead of complying however, Margaretha pouted and faced Eremes.

"Enough with the secrets already!" she exclaimed. "Friends are supposed to trust each other, don't they? So why all the secrecy? Don't you trust us?"

Eremes, taken aback by her sudden outburst, answered, "I-It isn't like that! It's just that…"

"Just what? Don't avoid the question this time!"

Eremes sighed. Perhaps it really was time to share his thoughts. Before he could speak however, much to his surprise, Howard placed a hand over Margaretha's shoulder and said, "That's enough Margaretha."

"W-Why?" asked Margaretha, surprised at Howard's serious expression.

"We are friends, no doubt about it, but there are some stuff that we just have to keep from each other," he said. "It isn't because we don't trust each other. It's because we just aren't ready to share it yet." He nodded towards Eremes. "As a friend Margaretha, you shouldn't force him to spill his guts before he's ready to."

"W-Well, I suppose but…"

"That's what I think anyway," continued Howard. "Well, I just wanted to say what's on my mind."

"Thanks Howard," said Eremes. He then turned to face Margaretha, whose face was red with embarrassment. "Actually, in spite of what you said Howard, I feel that everyone deserves to know. I'll tell everyone after we've finished our work here."

"Are you sure about that, Eremes?" asked Kathryne, concerned. Eremes nodded and answered, "It's better for everyone to know about it. Maybe everyone can help me find what I'm looking for."

"Well if that' what you really want," said Howard with a shrug before walking towards a nearby tree and leaning against it. Margaretha still looked embarrassed though, so Kathryne approached her and gently patted her on the back. Eremes placed a comforting hand on Margaretha's shoulder before approaching Howard.

"That was pretty… out-of-character of you," he said. Howard shrugged once more before replying. "What can I say? I'm a guy with lots of surprises," he said with a grin.

"Actually what Margaretha said made me wonder as well," continued Eremes. "I was so busy with my own thoughts that I failed to notice before. Do you have a family to come back to?"

"Family? Hahaha." Howard moved his gaze towards the canopy above him. "No, I don't."

"You really don't? I mean, you…" Eremes hesitated for a moment. "It's not that you can't remember, but you really have nothing to remember?"

"What do you mean?" asked Howard, facing Eremes once more.

"I mean, are you saying that you don't have a family because you can't remember, or you really don't have a family to begin with?"

"Man, Eremes, you need to be careful what you ask people," said Howard with a laugh. "If you asked someone else, they might've been offended. But no, I have no family to remember at all."

"Wow, and I thought I was pretty beat up…" said Eremes in an understanding voice. "I guess I really need to read between the lines more."

"What's there to read, pal? I was never hiding the fact that I had no family. Nobody just asked."

"But you were silent a while ago. Didn't that mean something?"

"Well, you got me," said Howard. He sighed before standing up straight and facing Eremes. "Truth is, as far as I can remember, I was just a little kid wandering around the back-alleys of Alberta."

"You were?"

"Yeah… I think."

"You think?"

"Well my head's kinds fuzzy," said Howard, his expression frustrated. "It's almost like something is missing. I mean it doesn't make sense. A huge part of my memory's missing. I don't remember what happened before I became recognized as a novice."

"You don't?"

"You're starting to sound like a machine Eremes!" said Howard, relaxing his expression. "But yeah, it really doesn't make sense. Random back-alley kids don't just become recognized adventurers, you know. Something must have happened, but I just can't remember."

"I see…" Eremes found it strange. Howard casually admitted that a large part of his memory was missing. But, unlike himself, Howard does not look troubled at all. "Why do you still look so cheerful though?" he asked.

"Why shouldn't I be? Despite all that happened before when I was younger, life is good. And whatever happened before I became an adventurer doesn't matter, 'cuz I'm a merchant now."

"But, don't you want to remember?"

"Yeah, a little… But for me, what happens now is more important than what happened then."

"I… guess." Eremes was surprised at the wisdom in Howard's words. _"What happens now huh…"_ he thought to himself._ "But still, I need to find out what happened then."_

"I think Cecil mentioned that you wanted to go to Juno?" asked Howard. Eremes nodded in reply. "What makes you think you'll find something to do with your past there?"

"Well, call it a hunch."

"A hunch eh? Well, I heard that the Juno special is pretty good. Might be worth the visit."

Their conversation went on towards other topics. After a while they started laughing, causing Margaretha and Kathryne to join them out of curiosity. Howard then beckoned at Seyren, who was silently watching everyone the entire time, to come over. "What's the matter Seyren?" he asked. "Spore got your tongue?"

"Nothing," answered Seyren before folding his arms. "I'm just wondering what is taking Cecil so long…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Cecil was searching frantically around the house. She could not find the elder in the room with the altar so she checked the bedrooms. Not finding him there, she headed to the back yard. As she rounded a corner, she nearly collided with someone. She pulled back just in time to keep herself from slipping. When she got a good look at the person she nearly hit, she recognized him as the trainer in charge of new archers.

"Miss Cecil? You're back," said the man before bowing in front of her. "Are you looking for the elder? If so, I'm afraid you missed him. He went to hunt somewhere near the hunter's training grounds south of the village."

"Damn, why now?" She thought for a moment before grabbing his wrist and dragging him towards the exit. "W-Wait, Miss Cecil…" protested the man but Cecil ignored him. When they were in front of the exit, she pulled him just in front of the doors and slid the doors just open enough for him to peek. "Do you see those people outside? Three guys and two girls."

"I-I see them," said the man, straining from the force of Cecil's grip on his wrist. "But what about them?"

"Do you recognize them?"

"H-Huh…" The man squinted for a bit before saying, "N-No, actually I don't. Are they supposed to be the friends the elder was talking about? To be honest I only had a glance at your friends on the day you left years ago…"

"So you're useless after all!" said Cecil, finally letting go of the man's wrist and sighing in frustration. "I really need the elder back here…" The man massaged his wrist for a moment before saying, "You'll have to wait for the elder to come back, Miss Cecil. He's hunting in a part of the forest too dangerous for fresh adventurers."

"You said I was a huntress before right? Maybe my skills will come back to me if I just throw myself in there!" exclaimed Cecil in a strange voice. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"P-Please don't Miss Cecil, I don't want you to get killed," pleaded the man. Cecil ignored him and paced back and forth in front of the door. "Actually," said Cecil, speaking more to herself than to her companion. "If I'm wrong about them, then even a great huntress like me can't protect them… Wait I shouldn't doubt them now! They're my friends!" She sighed once more before sitting down. "I really need to see the elder. I can't endanger them, but I just can't wait for the elder to come back!"

"Please be reasonable Miss Cecil," said the man reassuringly despite being slightly confused at what Cecil was saying. "He said he'll be back tonight. I can arrange for you to remain in the inn—"

"Tonight? But it's barely noon!" Cecil got up impatiently. "I'm going to go find him! Can you take my friends to the inn for me?"

"Wait, Miss Cecil—"

"Great, thanks! Tell them I'll be over as soon as I've got him!" said Cecil before running off. She ran towards the hallway and was already nearing the rear exit before the man could reach her. Seeing that he could not keep up with her, the man headed back to the entrance and quickly slid the doors open, startling the group outside.

"Say, are you alright?" asked Eremes, who was closest. The man panted for a moment and asked in a pleading voice, "Please, you have to help me! Miss Cecil ran off towards the south part of the forest! You have to stop her!"

"Wait, what?" asked Howard before Eremes could say anything else. "That idiot! Has she forgotten what happened there before?"

"Before? What are you—?"

"Listen, we have to go after her and fast. Come on!" Howard let his cart, baggage and all, fall to the ground before sprinting off. Margaretha quickly ran to prevent their belongings from falling all over the ground. Eremes quickly lent a hand, seeing that the weight might be too much for her. "Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Eremes to Seyren and Kathryne who were still dazed from Howard's reaction. "Follow him!"

Seyren started before nodding and running off while Kathryne followed him at a relatively slower pace, careful not to trip over the hem of her cloak.

"I'm still surprised at how Howard's voice sounded…" said Margaretha, her hands trembling from the thought of what happened and the weight of the luggage that fell on her. Eremes removed her burden and helped her onto her feet. "And what did he mean by before?"

"I don't know…" replied Eremes. Still, he thought to himself, _"Maybe among us, Howard is the most able to remember..."_

_

* * *

_Cecil was running through the dense growth of the forest. She silently cursed herself for not memorizing the paths around the forest even though she lived nearby. After a while, she reached a clearing where a pair of hunters was sitting next to an extinguished campfire. The couple looked a bit startled at Cecil's sudden intrusion but Cecil ignored their expressions and asked, "Do you know where the elder is?"

The female hunter was first to shake off her surprise and answer, "Just a bit to the east of here… But why are you looking for him?"

"Thank you!" said Cecil before running off towards the direction the she pointed. The hunter stood up and shouted after her, saying, "Hey! Don't you know powerful monsters hang around here? You'll get killed!"

Cecil ignored her and continued running. Part of her was telling her to stop and think for a moment, but for some reason she did not want to. _"Why…?"_ she asked herself, losing focus on where she was running towards. A careless step caused her to stumble and graze her elbow. She moaned as she checked her bruise. Before she could do anything else however, an uneasy feeling crept up on her. And she quickly whirled around, checking for the source of her uneasiness. "Damn it, why now? I was lucky enough not to meet anything along the way but…" She stopped when she noticed that there were no monsters around. She then looked up and saw a lone falcon, perched on a branch of a tree in front of her. It was glaring at her with fierce eyes, and Cecil felt her knees weaken as she met its gaze. Without thinking, she drew her bow and, failing to aim properly, fired an arrow towards it. The falcon screeched noisily as it avoided the shot. It then swooped down on Cecil, its claws glinting as it passed through the sun rays that pierced the canopy. Cecil quickly held her arms in front of her, preparing for the worst.

After a few seconds, the falcon had struck. The pain Cecil expected did not come, but she dared not open her eyes because the falcon was still screeching noisily somewhere in front of her. She then felt a small gust of wind blow against her as the sound of flapping wings passed just above her head and into the distant treetops. Cecil waited a few more seconds before lowering her arms and opening her eyes. She gasped as she saw Howard standing in front of her, quietly mending his right arm with bandages.

"H-Howard? W-What are you doing—?" she stopped speaking as she saw Howard's angry expression. It was an expression she thought Howard did not have.

"You idiot!" exclaimed Howard as he lowered his bleeding arm. He winced a little before continuing to speak. "Didn't I tell you never to run off on your own?"

"B-But…"

"Damn, this is just like that day…" Howard closed his eyes before turning his back against Cecil once more. "Someday, you're probably going to be the one to kill me…"

"B-But…" Cecil felt her tears flow. She could not find words to say to Howard as her eyes looked from the back of his head to his bandaged arm. Her knees buckled as she started sobbing. Howard started as he heard her sob. He quickly knelt beside her and said, "H-Hey! Listen, I-I wasn't angry or anything, so come on, don't cry! H-Hey!" Cecil was sobbing uncontrollably in front of him and Howard did not have any idea what to do. He then started as he realized that his arms were already around her. It seemed quite involuntary. Before he could think of anything else, a voice behind him caused him to quickly withdraw his arms.

"You…" The elder of Payon was looking from Howard to Cecil, his expression unreadable. Howard smiled rather awkwardly as the elder set his gaze on him, but his smile quickly faltered since Cecil was still sobbing next to him. The elder then approached the two of them quickly, causing Howard to try and make way. To his surprise however, Cecil quickly clutched his unharmed arm when he made to move away. The elder stopped short in front of them when he saw Cecil do this. He looked more closely at Howard's face. "You… You're—!"

"Howard!" shouted Seyren's voice from somewhere beyond the trees. Howard then looked from where he heard the voice and at Cecil. Not knowing what to do, he looked pleadingly at the elder. The elder nodded and grabbed Cecil's shoulder. Though resisting at first, Cecil let go of Howard's arm before getting up. She kept her face down however, so Howard could not see her expression. Seyren's voice shouted from somewhere once more. Howard made to head towards the trees but the elder stopped him with his free hand. Before Howard could protest, the pair of hunters Cecil met a while ago burst out of the bushes next to them.

"Elder!" exclaimed both of them before bowing. The male hunter then whispered to his companion, "See, she has to be Miss Cecil. The elder is with her and all." The female hunter shook her head and replied, also in whisper, "It can't be. Look at her outfit. Though a different in color, it's definitely archer standard. And look how tall she is…"

"Then she must be her little sister…"

"That's enough," said the elder, causing the two hunters to stand at attention. "Can you meet with the one shouting over there?" He glanced at the direction of Seyren's voice. "And tell take them back to Payon? It's too dangerous here for them."

"Y-Yes elder." The two hunters nodded once more before disappearing behind the bushes once more.

"B-But!" Howard's protest came too late as the shuffling noise from the bushes had already ceased. He turned towards the elder. "You're that elder guy Cecil was talking about, right?" he asked. The elder nodded in reply. "I'm one of Cecil's friends. The one shouting over there is with me. If you can just bring him over here, we can all go back together."

"…The truth is I need to speak with you and Cecil. Just you two." Howard gulped as he heard that. The elder, noticing his worried expression, said, "Rest assured, you are not in trouble for what happened here." Cecil trembled slightly next to the elder, but her sobbing had stopped. "I just need to confirm something with Cecil. Now come, I'll lead the way back. We will take a different route from the other two."


	14. Chapter 14 Cecil and Howard

Back in front of the village elder's house, the party, excluding Cecil and Howard, were standing around Howard's abandoned cart, wondering what was happening inside the house.

"You really not sure what happened to those two?" asked Eremes, his question aimed at Seyren.

"Those two hunters that led us back here didn't say any more," answered Seyren, shrugging. "I did glimpse some people behind the bushes where those hunters came from, but that's all I saw."

Kathryne bit her lip nervously as she looked from everyone's expressions to the door. "I just hope they're fine. If Seyren and I didn't have to take a detour because of those monsters, we might've caught up with them."

"You'd think Cecil would understand the dangers of the forest since she lives here…" commented Eremes as he folded his arms. Apart from his desire to get to Juno as soon as possible, Eremes was getting bored. His dagger hand was just waiting to be used.

"Eremes, be patient," said Margaretha. Her sudden statement surprised Eremes, for he thought he had carefully hidden any visible indication of his impatience. It seemed that Margaretha knew him a bit too well. It was a comforting thought to him, but it added another uncertainty at the back of his mind. He did not find it strange at first, but his recent inactivity left him more time to focus on his thoughts. He could not recall memories of any childhood friends, yet he felt so familiar and comfortable with everyone, even since the day they met. After a few minutes however, Eremes shook of the peculiar thought and said to himself, "_One thing at a time. One thing at a time..."_

Howard was leaning against the sliding doorway of the elder's room. He was nervously gazing at the moving shadowy figures behind the screen. He wanted to know what was going on but at the same time he did not want to. The pain on his arm was not helping him think. Suddenly, the door slid open, nearly knocking Howard over. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw that the one who opened the door was the village elder.

"Howard, I asked you to follow us in a while ago," said the elder. Howard stood up straight and nervously replied, "I-I just thought that maybe Cecil wanted to talk with you alone first."

"Perhaps just as well," said the elder with an understanding nod. "Come join us now. I must speak with you together with her." He gestured towards inside. Howard nodded and entered the room. He saw Cecil, her face lowered, seated on a bed. Not knowing whether he should sit next to her not, he opted to just sit on the floor. He sat down and leaned against the bed Cecil was sitting on, keeping some distance between him and her. His hand felt a cushion as he sat down so he pulled it beneath him.

"Cecil, do you remember anything now?" asked the elder. Cecil mumbled incoherently, causing the elder to repeat the question. "Do you?"

"I don't know." Cecil's voice was stiff. Howard cast a nervous glance at Cecil as she spoke.

"…I see." The elder turned his gaze towards Howard. It took Howard a moment to notice that the elder was looking at him. When he did, he started and quickly pulled away his gaze from Cecil.

"What about you Howard?" asked the elder. Howard looked down. He had not really had time to think about what had happened. When he saw the falcon swooping down on Cecil, his body had acted on his own. He stared once more at the bandages on his arm. He recalled what he told Eremes: '_What happens now is more important to me than what happened then.'_ Despite what he said, Howard now believed that this is one of the times when he had to look back.

"What you did for my daughter…" said the elder, halting Howard's train of thought. "I'm glad for it. I wouldn't want that to happen to her again."

"Again?" repeated Howard before raising his head. "What do you mean again? This happened before?"

"Yes," answered the elder. "It seems that you do not remember either."

"I am not sure if you will believe me right away but hear me out. You and Cecil have known each other for a very long time. Much longer than you think."

"But I'm pretty sure that I met Cecil only about a week ago…"

"You are sure?" asked the elder, his expression meaningful. "Think again… Surely you must be mistaken."

"I…" Howard grimaced. He did not really like thinking, and the way the elder forces him to think made him dislike thinking even more. But still, now that he had to think about it, he really was not sure of whether or not he had known Cecil before their meeting at Prontera a week ago.

"Listen, s-sir," said Howard carefully. "Can you please be straight with me? What are you letting on?"

"Hm, you are indeed Howard," said the elder with a smile. "Still a straight-shooter I see." Howard was startled by the elder's comment but chose to remain silent. Receiving no reaction, the elder decided to continue. "Very well, since it seems that you cannot remember, allow me to help you."

"My daughter Cecil… is, or rather was… a very skilled huntress."

"A huntress?" Howard barely stifled a chuckle. He stole a glance at Cecil, expecting her fist to be ready to hit him. Seeing that she had not moved at all, he felt almost disappointed.

"Yes, though she looks like this now, she was indeed a huntress of Payon."

"Now you're just pulling my leg," said Howard skeptically.

"Just follow me for now," replied the elder firmly. "Four years ago, Cecil left the village to find work in the Schwartzvald Republic. You know of the Republic, do you not?" asked the elder, briefly stopping to wait for an answer. Howard nodded so the elder continued speaking. "I tried to make her stay, saying that a huntress need not stray too far from her homeland to make a living. But she insisted."

Howard listened attentively. He was a little surprised at himself for listening as much as he did, since he does not usually like long stories. He, however, felt that it was important to listen. The elder's words stirred his thoughts quite a bit.

"…I've received letters from her telling about what happened there. How she and her friends assisted in the founding of the city of Lighthalzen… how they conquered the some ruins called Juperos… Despite my worries, I could not help but be proud of her."

"But almost a year ago, the letters had stopped arriving. Usually she'd send us a letter once every two weeks, but months passed since we received word from her. We thought she had just taken a big job that took up a lot of her time… and then this happened."

"This?"

"She comes back to us, looking as young as the day she left… I imagined by now she would have looked the same as my daughter before she…" The elder hesitated for a moment. Cecil trembled slightly, her movement alerting Howard to the fact that she was listening to every word the elder was saying. Deciding that it was a good time to interrupt, Howard said, "So Cecil went up north some time in her past, and now she's back. I don't understand why you wouldn't be happy about that."

"Indeed I am happy to see her again, but you must understand the peculiarity of the situation. My daughter was a huntress the day she left, and she returns a novice after four years." The elder looked at Howard, expecting him to understand the situation.

"Well… I guess that IS pretty weird…" Howard was at loss for words.

"You're an… idiot you know," said Cecil in a soft voice, finally speaking. Her suddenly speaking surprised Howard so much that he stood up quickly.

"Cecil, I thought I lost you there…" said Howard. Cecil did not reply, but kept her head down. Howard bit his lip before turning to face the elder once more.

"Alright, fine, how's this for a theory?" Howard folded his arms and closed his eyes. "Maybe, in Lighthalzen, they invented some sort of time capsule that causes their bodies to revert to younger shapes?"

"Howard…" said the elder, attempting to interrupt.

"T-Then they combined it with some sort of brainwashing contraption, causing them to forget what happened…"

"Howard…" said the elder, raising the volume of his voice a little.

"Or maybe, they dug up some sort of fountain of youth! With amnesia as a side effect…"

"Howard!" exclaimed the elder, in an exasperated voice. "You don't seem to understand how serious this is!"

"I don't give a damn!" exclaimed Howard, snapping. "I don't care about your damn thoughts on how this happened! I don't care about what happened up north! J-Just tell me why is Cecil like this!" The elder was stunned. He did not expect Howard to react like that. Howard, fists raised, turned towards Cecil and shouted, "Why aren't you laughing at my stupid comments? You should be telling me to shut up while hitting me! What's wrong with you?"

Cecil turned away from Howard. Howard was about to speak out once more but Cecil interrupted him, saying, "Stop it Howard."

Howard stopped short. Realizing what he just did he lowered his fists, lowered his head and said in an apologetic voice, "S-Sorry, I guess that was a bit insensitive of me… But!" Howard raised his head once more and said, "Why are you like this Cecil? The Cecil I know would never act like this. She… she's always smiling and laughing an-and cracking jokes or saying something witty or-or…"

Cecil, her face hidden from Howard and the elder, smiled weakly. "I should be the one who's sorry…" she said in a soft voice, calming Howard down once more. "B-Because of me, you… your arm."

"What you mean this?" Howard lifted his injured arm. "This is nothing. But why would you be so concerned about this?" The elder, who was dazed at their exchange, regained his senses and decided to speak for Cecil.

"I guess it is my fault for speaking in such a roundabout manner. I should be the one who is sorry," said the elder in an apologetic voice. "But I did not think it would be something the two of you would forget so easily. You see, you and Cecil—"

"—were best friends for as long as we can remember," said Cecil, finishing the elder's sentence. Howard was very surprised. "W-We were?" he asked, uncertain if he had heard what she said right.

"I was really unsure about it since I suggested we come to Payon," said Cecil, wiping her face and finally turning to face Howard. "But what happened at the forest really made me think. I had always found it weird that we, I mean the six of us," she added, blushing a little. "…hit it off pretty well since we met at Prontera. Didn't you find that weird as well?"

"Well, yeah but…"

"Well, leave it to Howard to never think things through," she said, smiling. Seeing her smile calmed Howard down completely. He sighed with relief before falling on his back on the bed Cecil was sitting on. "…When we were kids, we used to do a lot of things together…"

"Yeah…" said Howard, closing his eyes. He finally stopped ignoring the images that were flitting about in his mind. Despite his philosophy, he now thought that it would not hurt to reminisce every now and then.

"…Now I remember." Cecil's voice sounded a bit shaky, causing Howard to open his eyes and sit up. "What is it now?" he asked worriedly.

"…When we were a younger, we went to the hunter's training grounds." Cecil shuddered for a bit. "I think you know what happened then…"

"Oh, now I remember." Howard looked at his injured arm once more. Then he smacked himself on the forehead for looking at his injured arm too many times within an hour. "That was real bad… So I guess I can't blame you for crying a while ago since it might've happened again."

"Well… yeah," Cecil looked from Howard's injured arm to his face. "But, I guess the rest is history right?"

"Well I guess it isn't so bad to look up history every now and then, huh?" said Howard with a grin. "But I guess that can wait. So elder…" The elder, who was surveying their tender moment quietly, started before asking, "What is it Howard?"

"Now that I think about it, it is pretty weird that Cecil would change back to an archer. I mean, it's weirder than weird," said Howard, unable to think of a better term. "So what were you thinking about?"

"Not only her you know, but you too. You were a blacksmith before as well."

"Really? I was?" Howard smirked at the thought. He then got off the bed and said, "Then what sick man would change an awesome blacksmith like me back to being a merchant?"

"And do not forget about your friends, all of you were together at the Republic before this happened," added the elder.

"Really?" asked Cecil, before getting off the bed as well. The elder looked at her sternly. "Oh, oh yeah, I knew it was them all along! Haha… ha…" said Cecil nervously, remembering her deal with the elder.

"Fate is a fickle mistress, bringing all of you back together even when you forget…" said the elder thoughtfully. "Perhaps there is something special about the six of you."

"Did you say pickles?" asked Howard. Cecil attempted to smack Howard at the back of his head, but he managed to grab her arm with his free hand. "Nice try," he said with a smirk. In response, Cecil kneed him in the stomach before letting him crumple to the floor. "You were saying?" she asked in a haughty voice. Howard rolled onto his back before saying, "Cecil's back alright…"

After helping him up, Cecil turned to the elder and said, "I guess we better go get everyone…"

"Wait a moment," said the elder. "I'm glad that the two of you now remember, but there is still the matter of how you became like you are now. …I never trusted that Rekenber fellow since I met him."

"Rekenber?" The name left a scowl on Howard's face, though he could not really remember why.

"He may be the one responsible for what happened to you. But I ask of you, do not go after him."

"Why?" asked Cecil. "Who is he, really?"

"I envy you a little, because I would give almost anything to put him out of my mind," said the elder before sighing. "Rekenber is the man who founded the Rekenber Corporation, the main force behind the founding of Lighthalzen. He is very powerful... and it would be unwise for you to go after him at this time."

"So… how do we change back?" asked Howard.

"That I do not know. But I have this one letter—" The elder pulled out a letter from his pocket. "This letter is the last one I received from you, Cecil, before you disappeared. It seems that the last place you were before you disappeared was at Juno."

"Juno?" repeated Howard. "Didn't Eremes want to go to Juno?"

"Oh yeah, Kathryne was talking to him back on the wagon," said Cecil, nodding. "He said that he wanted to figure something out in Juno… something about his past or whatever. I wasn't really listening, though."

"So Eremes is already ahead of us in unlocking our memories?" asked Howard. "Damn, we have to catch up!"

"Hey, calm down, we aren't sure yet. And this isn't some sort of game you know…"

"So your goal is set then?" asked the elder, interrupting the two of them. They nodded in unison. "Then spend the night here. I know that I can't stop you from going even if I tried so… I can only wish you good luck."

"Um, thanks," replied Cecil. She hesitated for a moment before approaching the elder and hugging him. The elder was surprised, but happy nonetheless as he returned her embrace. Howard watched the two of them and pretended to hurl.

"Bye then!" Cecil bade goodbye to the elder before running off into the hallway and towards the exit. Howard made to follow her but the elder gripped his shoulder suddenly, causing him to turn around.

"Howard," said the elder, his expression smiling but his tone unusual. "I'm aware that you and my daughter are quite close to each other. But you have a lot of impudence to lie on the same bed as her right in front of me. Be careful next time, for you know, no prey has ever escaped from the hunters of Payon." Howard's eyes were wide-open as he said, "Y-Yes, understood, sir!" After the elder nodded, Howard left the room and the house as quickly as he could.

* * *

It was already dark when Cecil and Howard reached the inn where the others were staying at. Cecil quickly slid open the front doors of the inn and approached the innkeeper.

"Cecil!" said the innkeeper in a surprised voice. "So you really have returned. And you don't look older than—"

"—the day I left, I know, geez," said Cecil as she rolled her eyes. "But yeah, it's good to be back… um…" The innkeeper laughed and said, "Don't strain yourself trying to remember my name. I'm just glad to see you're alright." Cecil turned red as she muttered, "Thanks," in reply.

"So I'm guessing you're looking for your friends?"

"Yup! So, where are they?"

"Oh I'm afraid they left over an hour ago," said the innkeeper before looking out the window. "I think one of the hunters hired them to find something inside the Payon cave."

"What?" exclaimed Howard before running up and slamming his hands on the countertop. "They went on without us!"

"Well, I guess I wouldn't wait all afternoon either," said Cecil with a sigh. "So when will they be back?"

"Oh, I think they'll be back soon," said the innkeeper as she looked out the window once more. "Speaking of which, there they are."

Sure enough, when Cecil stuck her head out the window, she found the others led by Seyren walking towards them from the north path. Howard ran out the door and ran towards them. Upon reaching Seyren, he proceeded to berate him about not waiting for him. While Seyren tried to calm Howard down, Kathryne and Margaretha passed the two of them and proceeded to meet up with Cecil, who stayed by the entryway of the inn.

"Heya Kathryne, Margaretha," said Cecil as soon as the other two reached her. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Yeah, we're sorry we didn't wait for you too," said Margaretha. "But Eremes was getting impatient so I suggested that we go to Payon Cave and hunt for a bit."

"Ooh, Eremes was getting impatient was he?" asked Kathryne gleefully. "If he gets impatient like that so easily, then he's no better than Howard! Speaking of which, where is Eremes?"

"I'm right next to you."

Cecil started as she realized the presence beside her. She then straightened up and asked, "What the—? Since when did you get here?"

"What? I was the first to reach you. Aren't your eyes clear?" Eremes took of his hat before folding his arms. "And here I thought you were the best archer here in Payon."

"What?" Cecil's face turned red. "You want me to stick this arrow into your face?"

"Oh please, save your shenanigans for Howard," Eremes strode past Cecil and into the inn. Cecil followed him, saying, "I'm not done with you yet!" Margaretha and Kathryne looked at each other before shaking their heads and entering the inn after them.

* * *

A few minutes later, Seyren entered the inn. Margaretha was the first to see him enter so she asked, "Where's Howard?"

"Looking for his cart," he said with a shrug.

"Oh. OH!" exclaimed Margaretha before holding up a hand on her mouth. "I nearly forgot about it! Didn't we leave the cart in front of the elder's house?"

"I don't know… I'm tired so I'm hitting the hay." Seyren strode past Margaretha and towards one of the rooms in the back. Margaretha briefly glanced at the darkness outside of the inn before telling herself, "I think he'll be fine… He's Howard after all." She then slid the doors close before retiring for the night.


	15. Chapter 15 Stranger in the Night

Howard was frantically running around the village, searching for his cart. He checked behind every bush, every tree trunk and every patch of bamboo he could find, but could not find anything. He even checked around the houses near the elder's house, but could not find it either. However, at the corner of his eye, he saw the exposed rear end of a cart at the far side of the elder's house. He approached excitedly, hoping it was his. He became disappointed however upon reaching it, because it had an elaborate wooden design, different from his plain iron one. He became surprised however, when he saw someone leaning against the wall next to the cart. The stranger, his face hidden by the dark of the night, was looking at Howard. The stranger seemed to be wearing round glasses, since they glinted slightly.

"Oh, uh is this your cart?" asked Howard before standing up straight. "Sorry, I thought it was mine." The stranger did not speak, but merely continued to look at Howard. Becoming uncomfortable, Howard said, "Well, I better be going now…" before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.

The stranger however, called to him in a gruff voice, "Wait." Howard stiffened as the call reached him and he hesitantly looked over his shoulder. "Y-Yeah?" he asked nervously.

"If you've lost your cart, the local Kafra service must've taken it," said the stranger, approaching Howard but keeping his face hidden. "The service must no longer be available this late so you better check tomorrow."

Howard, though slightly intimidated by the stranger's voice, felt a surge of relief. He said, "Thanks!" before continuing to walk.

"Wait," said the stranger once more. Howard cringed. Was the stranger going to ask for compensation? "L-Listen, I haven't got any money on me…" he began to say. The stranger then laughed and said, "Don't mistake me for a thug. Payon is one of the more peaceful villages around Rune-Midgard so you shouldn't expect to find any here."

"Uhh, okay," said Howard, still a little unconvinced. "So what do you want?"

"You're a strange fellow, dressed like that," commented the stranger. Howard looked from his clothes to the stranger and said, "You mean the color of my clothes? Well… I guess they're different from the other merchants but…"

"Oh you don't remember do you? You need to pay more attention."

The stranger approached Howard and stopped as he entered a patch of grass shined by the light coming from one of the houses. The stranger had slightly dishevelled hair, and a rather scholarly expression. When Howard saw the stranger's attire, he realized that he was an alchemist.

"Hey, you're one of those alchemist guys!" exclaimed Howard before breathing a sigh of relief. "And I thought you were some muscle-bound guy with a huge axe…"

"Oh, don't underestimate me just because I'm an alchemist," said the alchemist with a smile. "The way you are now, you wouldn't stand a chance against me."

"Oh really? I could probably take my chances, I heard alchemists aren't that tough," said Howard, grinning confidently.

"I highly suggest you don't try. You'll be dead before you know it," said the alchemist, retaining his smile. This statement caused Howard to stop grinning. Seeing the change in Howard's expression, the alchemist laughed once more before saying, "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. But anyway, I seem to have forgotten what I was about to say… Oh yes. You need to pay more attention." The alchemist nodded with his arms crossed. "I was the one who gave you those clothes."

"Huh, really?" asked Howard. He squinted at the alchemist as he tried to remember his face. Not recalling anything, Howard shook his head and said, "Um, sorry man. I can't remember."

"Well I guess I'm not really surprised," said the alchemist with a sigh. "You were always like that."

"What?"

"Oh nothing, just talking to myself," said the alchemist before laughing once more.

"Okay…" said Howard, tilting his head curiously. "But anyway, what's with these threads?"

"Well, I just thought that since you entered the guild, you appear to have been… going through some changes. Your clothes are just a crude, physical expression of that."

"Err, changes? Like puberty or something?"

"Well, something like that," said the alchemist with a smile. "I also waived your enlistment fee you know."

"Really? …Well I guess it isn't really that expensive… Hey wait a minute!" Howard's expression sharpened. "Do I know you from my past life or something?"

The alchemist became silent. Howard looked at him intently, waiting for an answer. The alchemist turned his back on Howard and said, "Well I guess you have grown a bit. I was expecting that it would take you longer to remember."

"So you DO know me!" exclaimed Howard. "So how the heck do you know me? I need to remember…"

"Well I'm sure that you have a lot of questions, but I'm afraid I can't answer them right now." The alchemist looked around him and over his shoulder, as though looking for someone. "It's getting a bit late so I think you should go."

"H-Hey, you can't get rid of me that easily," said Howard before trying to approach the alchemist. "And what are you looking around for? Don't think that I'll just let you run off…"

"Do you know Rekenber?" asked the alchemist, causing Howard to stop walking. "Yeah, I guess you've heard of him, huh?"

"Uh yeah, but what about him?" asked Howard curiously.

"He is a dangerous man, and right now you ought to keep your head down and stay out of trouble," said the alchemist, his tone slowly becoming more and more nervous. "Whatever happens, don't draw attention to yourself, or to your friends."

"Wait, now you're making me even more curious! How the heck do you know me or my friends?" asked Howard impatiently. The alchemist looked Howard straight in the eye and said, "I'm doing this for your own safety. Now please go. I think I've kept you here for too long."

Howard was about to argue the point but the alchemist was looking at him pleadingly so he chose not to. He turned his back on the alchemist before saying, "Listen, the next time we meet, I want answers alright?" The alchemist hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, but Odin-willing, may we don't have to meet each other again." Howard's curiosity was piqued once more but the alchemist urged him with his expression not to ask. Howard then quickly ran off into the bushes, heading back to the inn. Almost as soon as he left, another stranger appeared from behind the alchemist and approached the clearing.

"I was looking all over for you," said the stranger. "Where have you been doing?"

"What else, I'm looking for them as well…" said the alchemist, regaining his gruff tone and expression. "Have you found anything?"

"Yeah, but it's kinda strange…" said the stranger, looking hesitant. "I managed to 'convince' one of the townsfolk to say if they knew anything about those adventurers. I hear a couple who fit the description but… they're all greenhorns… start-outs. Just newbies in their respective guilds…"

"Well then, they aren't the people we're looking for then," said the alchemist in a firm voice. His companion trembled a little before saying, "I know this isn't much of a lead but Rekenber is getting really impatient. If I don't report something, I might get killed you know. Listen, the ones I heard about are staying at an inn in this village. We can go check them out while their asleep and – ugh!" The alchemist had punched the stranger hard in the stomach, instantly knocking him out cold. The alchemist then laid his companion's body on the ground, took out a potion from his pocket and poured its contents into his companion's mouth. "They're getting desperate…" said the alchemist to himself. "And somehow, a little more efficient. I can't keep this up forever, but I have to keep trying…" The alchemist replaced the empty potion bottle inside his pocket and lifted his companion onto his shoulder. He then glanced over to where Howard disappeared into before saying to himself, "Just a bit more evidence, and I'll be able to bring this matter to the knights…"

The alchemist approached his cart, loaded his quarry onto it and dragged it off into the darkness. Howard on the other hand, was quickly running towards the light coming from the windows of the inn. He stopped just in front of the sliding doors, panting for breath. He looked back behind him, remembering the strange alchemist and his advice.

"Don't draw attention to yourself, or your friends."

Howard was hesitant to accept the advice of a stranger but for some reason, he felt that the alchemist really had their best interests at heart. As Howard grasped the sliding doors, he promised to himself not to tell anyone about what he learned tonight, for now.


	16. Chapter 16 A Date

The following morning, Eremes was first to wake up. He sat up on his bed and stretched for a bit before glancing to his left, trying to make out the other sleeping figures next to him. Seyren was asleep with the blankets covering up to his face and Howard was on the floor snoring loudly. Eremes had a brief sense of déjà vu before getting up and looking out the window. It was still early morning since the sky was still dark, but there was enough light for someone to see where he is going outside. Eremes then grabbed his conical hat which was leaning against his bed and reached for where his cloak was. Grasping nothing but air, Eremes glanced at where his cloak was supposed to be and found that it was not there. He considered looking for it for a moment, but ultimately decided not to, so he headed for the doors, slid them open and quietly slid them close behind him.

When Eremes reached the entrance of the inn, he found a note on the innkeeper's counter that says: "Went out to get groceries. Be back in about an hour or so." He then glanced towards the exit. He briefly considered leaving a note for his friends but decided not to, believing he would be back before they missed him. As he stepped out of the inn, he took in the fresh morning breeze and exhaled. He was not really sure what he wanted to do this morning, but he did not want to just sit around until the sun came up. He looked around him and decided to just explore Payon for the time being. After all, he thought that he had never been here before. Before he could take another step however, someone grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn around.

"I knew you'd be up early."

Margaretha's eyes had a pleased, yet noticeably tired, look. She stifled a yawn as she removed her hand from Eremes's shoulder. Eremes was glad that he was still a bit sleepy as well; if he had been wide awake, he might had pulled a dagger on Margaretha, out of sheer habit. That would have led to a situation which would end with him getting hurt.

"So why are you up so, early?" asked Eremes. Margaretha grabbed Eremes's hand and pulled him onto the beaten path in front of the inn before replying.

"Kathryne told me last night that you also got up really early back at Morroc," said Margaretha as she motioned a hand following the path, indicating that she wanted to go for a walk. "I decided to sleep early just so I can catch you before you slip off again."

"Well you caught me," said Eremes in a mildly congratulatory tone. "But really, you shouldn't have bothered. It's not like I'm gonna leave the village."

"Well, I'd like a chance to talk with you alone anyway," she said, making sure that Eremes could not see her expression. "So, Payon. Nice place, huh?"

"Compared to Morroc, the atmosphere here is pretty mild, yeah," said Eremes as he observed the canopy above him. "Here, I don't have to worry about getting sand in my eyes or my shoes."

"Yeah I know. It's pretty irritating when I get sand on my sandals…"

"And the breeze feels just right. At Morroc, the desert breeze is either too hot or too cold."

"Must have been rough, being on your own in the desert for a week."

"Well, yeah. But it's essential for my training."

Margaretha stopped walking for a moment and turned to face Eremes. "So why are you training so hard anyway?" she asked.

"Isn't it important for any adventurer to be ready for anything? To be able to fight in top shape is essential for people like me," answered Eremes in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh, boo," said Margaretha with a pout. "But nothing really big happens around here. So I think there's really no need for you to train so hard…"

"That would go against what I've learned from my grandfa—at the guild," said Eremes, quickly changing the last part. Margaretha had already heard what Eremes was about to say before he changed it however.

"Why are you hesitating to talk about your grandfather?" asked Margaretha.

"W-Well, it's just because…" Eremes struggled to find words. "I don't even remembering meeting my grandfather before yesterday. Then he just shows up and tells me about my parents… It happened fast."

"Wait, you met your grandfather yesterday?" asked Margaretha. Eremes started as he realized that he had not told Margaretha about what happened when he met his grandfather. He distinctly recalled telling Kathryne about it, but after a while, he remembered that Margaretha was actually asleep at the time. He spent a few minutes telling Margaretha about what he told Kathryne yesterday.

"Well, that's wonderful isn't it?" Margaretha was beaming as she asked the question. "You have family to come back to, at Morroc."

"Well… I guess but…"

"Oh come on, why do you sound so glum about it? You should be thrilled!" Margaretha turned her back on Eremes and clasped her hands behind her back. Eremes could not help but find cute the way Margaretha repeatedly stood on the balls of her feet. It took him a few seconds to pick up the hint of envy in her last statement to which he asked, trying not to sound insensitive:

"Um, what about you? Do you have any family you can remember?"

Margaretha turned to face Eremes. She was still smiling, but her eyes had an unmistakably sad look about them. "As far as I can remember, I don't remember anyone." She then looked away from Eremes. Eremes, not sure of what to say, approached a nearby tree with a large trunk and motioned at Margaretha to join him. Eremes sat down, letting his legs spread in front of him, while Margaretha sat down next to him with her weight on her thighs.

"Um, you don't remember?" asked Eremes once more. He also considered the thought that maybe Margaretha was experiencing the same sort of inability to remember the past that he was. He wanted to know for sure, but struggled not to sound insensitive. _To someone like Margaretha_, he thought, _the talk of family must mean a great deal_.

Margaretha shook her head once more. "The furthest thing I could remember is some bright white light…" she said, looking thoughtful for a bit. "Beyond that… is a blur. But actually, now that I think about it… The clearest memory I can remember is waking up near the sanctuary in Prontera."

"Really?"

"Well, actually, I felt somehow connected to the sanctuary," said Margaretha, her expression starting to brighten up. "It felt familiar… Like… home."

"Home…" repeated Eremes. He could not make himself think logically about her situation and compare it to his when Margaretha looked like that. "So… Is that why you became an acolyte?" he asked.

"Maybe that's part of the reason," answered Margaretha. "But I think it was mostly because I believe the calling of an acolyte was an important one, and I could not think of anything better to do with my life. You said that it is important for adventurers to train and fight, right? Well, maybe for you, but for me, spreading the good word is most important."

"Oh…" said Eremes. He was not really much of a religious person, and he could not remember any time that he had ever attended mass so he could not really relate.

"Not to look down on how most other acolytes or priests share the good word, you know, word of mouth and sermons or whatnot, but I believe it is better to live my life itself as an example for others to follow," she said, smiling proudly. She then glanced furtively at Eremes before asking, "Do… Do you think I'm doing a good job?"

Eremes smiled. "Margaretha, you're the most upright person I know and everyone ought to follow your example," he said.

"Well, that kind of makes me sound a bit too high and mighty… but thanks Eremes," said Margaretha in a thankful voice. After that, there was silence between them. Eremes, struggling to find another topic to talk about, kept his gaze away from Margaretha. Margaretha however, was silently staring at his face, her eyes twinkling. Before anything else could happen however, a single apple fell on Eremes's head, breaking the mood. Eremes grasped the apple curiously before hearing a faint, "Busted…" from somewhere above him. He sighed before saying,

"Cecil, Howard, come down here."

A squeal followed by a dull thud came from somewhere above Eremes. He sighed once more before glancing at Margaretha, who returned the glance with an awkward smile. Cecil's voice, in a pathetic attempt to sound discreet, said from somewhere above them:

"There's no one here… Do carry on."

Howard's voice followed, though sounding a lot less inconspicuous.

"Go on you lovebirds!"

Another dull thud sounded, this time shaking the treetop. A couple more apples fell down, causing Eremes and Margaretha to stand up and move away from underneath the tree. Just in time too since Howard fell on the ground afterwards with a crash, barely avoiding the pile of apples. Eremes and Margaretha winced sympathetically as Howard slowly lifted his chest off the ground and smiled weakly at them. Before he could get up however, Cecil landed on her rear on top of him.

"Well… uh… good morning!" greeted Cecil in an awkward tone as Eremes and Margaretha gazed at her suspiciously. "So uh… fine weather for a walk huh?"

Eremes shook his head as he held out a hand to help Cecil up. "You're cutting off the circulation, you know." Cecil grinned at him before giving Howard a pat on the head. She then took Eremes's outstretched hand and got up quickly. She then turned to face Margaretha before bowing her head.

"Really sorry to ruin your date, Margaretha," said Cecil in an apologetic tone. Margaretha then sighed before saying, "Well… I guess I'll let it pass for now." She then nonchalantly healed Howard as she spoke to Eremes.

"Next time then?"

Eremes was still a bit embarrassed when Cecil mentioned "date" so it took him a few seconds to realize that Margaretha was talking to him. He nodded embarrassedly before saying, "Well I think I better head back to the inn. The sun's getting a bit high now." Margaretha nodded in agreement before saying, "I'll join you." The two of them then nodded at Cecil before heading back on the path toward the inn.

Cecil sat down on Howard's prone figure once more before grabbing one of the apples from the pile next to them. "I think we need to apologize properly to Margaretha later. Clearly, what she told Eremes a while ago was only for his ears."

Howard managed to lift his head off the ground and spit out some of the grass that got in his mouth before replying, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She mentioned yesterday that we shouldn't keep secrets from one another."

"Yeah but still…"

"Anyway, it's your fault we got caught in the first place," said Howard in a self-righteous tone, rewarding him a fist on the top of the head from Cecil.

"You're the one who brought the apples!" exclaimed Cecil before taking a bite off the apple she was holding on.

"I'm hungry you know!" grunted Howard in frustration since the nearest apple was only just out of his reach. "You mind getting off? My other arm's not completely healed yet anyway."

Cecil ignored him. She instead gazed contemplatively at the beaten path that Eremes and Margaretha took. "Margaretha beat us here. I wasn't expecting her to wake up earlier than us."

Howard continued to reach for the apple, delaying his reply. After a few seconds, Cecil pressed her weight on Howard, forcing him to say something.

"Ow, ow… Yeah I wasn't expecting that either," he said in a pained voce. Satisfied, Cecil released her weight on Howard but did not get off of him. Howard grunted his dismay, but Cecil continued to ignore him. She took another bite out of her apple before asking, "When do you suppose we can talk to Eremes about what we learned?"

"Well, we'll have more chances later," answered Howard, finally giving up on the apple. "It's not exactly hard to catch him alone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Cecil held her apple with her mouth before slowly getting up. Howard quickly got up and grabbed the apple he was trying so hard to get a while ago. Cecil removed the apple from her mouth and smirked as she watched Howard gobble up the apple quickly. "Careful, there're seeds in there," said Cecil before turning her back on Howard and following the path Eremes and Margaretha took. Too late however, since Howard had already swallowed a particularly large chunk of apple with some seeds in it, causing him to clutch his chest and gag. Cecil continued to walk, ignoring the choking noises behind her. She merely shouted back, "You should have brought apple juice instead!"


	17. Chapter 17 Serpent's Letter

Seyren and Kathryne were seated across each other in front of a table next to the window near the entrance of the inn. Seyren was absentmindedly playing with a one-zeny coin with his right hand while holding a book to with his left. The book was entitled: "A Legend beneath the Earth" and was recommended by Kathryne. Seyren was busily poring over the book, turning the pages skilfully with his left thumb. Kathryne however, was focusing her gaze outside. She remembered mentioning to Margaretha the previous night about Eremes always going out when it was early, so she expected to find Margaretha dragging Eremes along the beaten path any time now.

"What do you think those two are doing?" asked Kathryne to Seyren, who answered without looking away from his book.

"Probably walking around. Seems like a nice day for it."

Kathryne sighed. Somehow she felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of Eremes and Margaretha out there together and alone. She did not understand why however. A breeze blew through the window, causing Kathryne to pull her cloak tighter around her. The wind disturbed Seyren's reading, so he looked up. Noticing that Kathryne was shivering, he asked, "Maybe you should have asked the academy to replace the female uniform for mages. It's pretty impractical isn't it?"

"I don't know why I didn't," answered Kathryne with a sigh. "This 'uniform' has been around for so long. I wonder why hasn't anyone requested for it to be changed. It just feels so…"

"Really? I heard some girls enjoy wearing those kinds of clothes," commented Seyren. When Kathryne glowered at him in reply, he added as an after-thought, "Well, um… That's what Howard told me anyway."

"Remind me to ask Cecil to hit him for me when they get back," said Cecil as she resumed her gaze out the window. Seyren breathed a sigh of relief and silently prayed for Howard to forgive him in the near-future.

After a while, when no one had returned yet, Seyren got up and said, "I'm going to go get some breakfast. Do you want anything?"

"I guess I'll just go for some grape juice for now," she replied. Seyren nodded and proceeded to find the innkeeper to ask for a meal. Kathryne's followed Seyren until he disappeared around the corner leading to the stairway. A little bit later, cheerful banter from outside caused Kathryne to look out the window once more.

As expected, Kathryne saw Margaretha cheerfully skipping in front of Eremes, who was walking just slowly enough not to get hit by the heels of Margaretha's sandals. Margaretha saw Kathryne looking down at them so she waved at her. Kathryne only returned the wave half-heartedly. Her gaze was focused at Eremes, who only gave her a light smile before resuming his gaze towards Margaretha. Kathryne looked away and sighed. She then got up, pulled her cloak tighter around her and proceeded downstairs.

* * *

Eremes and Margaretha were already at the table Seyren had prepared by the time Kathryne got down. She nodded at the three of them before looking around for a bit. She then asked, "Where's Howard and Cecil? Did they go on a date too?"

Seyren, who had already taken a bite off a loaf of bread, nearly choked as he stifled a chuckle. Margaretha laughed and said, "No, no. They were with us a while ago and we left ahead of them."

"Really? Oh…" Hearing that seemed to cheer Kathryne up a little. She waited for Margaretha to sit down before sitting next to her. Eremes went across the table to sit next to Seyren, who was wiping his mouth of bread crumbs. One of the helpers working at the inn approached their table carrying a plate with a glass of grape juice, which Kathryne accepted gratefully. As she drank from her glass, she furtively glanced at Eremes, who was keeping his gaze on the ceiling while quietly tapping his fingers on the table. Margaretha asked the helper to get her a glass of grape juice as well before asking Eremes what he wants. Eremes thought for a moment before saying that he wanted some eggs. The helper nodded and repeated their order before heading to the back door, presumably leading to the kitchen.

Kathryne lowered her glass onto the table after drinking half of it. She wanted to start a conversation, but could not think of any particularly interesting topic. After a while, she remembered Eremes saying that he wanted to go to Juno. She was about to bring up the topic when Seyren spoke ahead of her.

"What's taking those two so long?" asked Seyren. "We need to discuss our next job, and they already missed the first one."

"Well, we made enough to last us for a while though," said Margaretha thoughtfully. "If we need any more then we could just take another later…"

Kathryne found the talk about their budget a good opportunity to bring up the airship ride to Juno, and was about to bring that up when they heard the front doors of the inn opening loudly. Kathryne sighed as Howard entered the room with a tired gait. He smiled weakly at the four around the table before approaching and collapsing on the other chair next to Seyren. Seyren tilted his head curiously at Howard, who held up a hand and mumbled, "Dun' wanna talk 'bout it." before placing his arms on the table and resting his head on them. Cecil entered the room afterwards and grinned at the other four before quickly taking the other seat next to Margaretha.

"So, what's the plan Seyren?" asked Cecil before quickly taking a loaf from Seyren's pile. Seyren answered, "That was what I was about to discuss. We made enough to last us a while. But I guess we ought to take another job."

"Hm? Why?"

"So that you and him could get to join us," answered Seyren, briefly glancing at Howard. Cecil grinned and said, "I took care of that already. Before we got back here, I had a talk with the archer master up north. You know, the guy the other day…"

"You set us up for a job already?"

"Oh don't worry, it's just a favor. If we don't do it, he'll just find someone else. And if we do it, we'll earn enough to get us to Juno on a non-busy weekday."

Kathryne's eyes brightened. She silently thanked Cecil for bringing up the subject. She glanced at Eremes and saw that he had shifted his gaze from the ceiling to Cecil. Kathryne was hoping that she was the one to bring up the subject, but just as well. She would just have to enforce the topic.

"So that settles it, we're doing the job!" said Kathryne excitedly. The others, except Howard, looked at her with surprised expressions on their faces.

"Why do you sound so excited?" asked Seyren. "We haven't even come to a decision yet."

"Well…" Kathryne struggled to come up with something to back up her previous statement. "Eremes had been wanting to go there since the day before yesterday." Eremes raised an eyebrow at her before saying, "Thanks for your concern Kathryne, but I'm ready to wait until it's convenient for all of us."

"B-But…" Kathryne had hoped that Eremes would support her. Fortunately, Cecil backed her up by saying, "Actually, that's not the only reason I mentioned Juno. Me and Howard have some business there as well."

"Really?" asked Seyren, looking a bit confused. "Is Juno becoming a hot travel destination?"

"No, no, nothing vacation-related… Well actually, since we'll be going there, why not have a vacation as well?" suggested Cecil with an even wider grin. "It doesn't sound like a bad idea doesn't it?"

Kathryne looked at Cecil as though wanting to hug her. She thought that maybe then, Eremes would express interest. When she glanced at Eremes, he had a smile on his face. He then placed a fist on the table and said, "Well let's do this then. That alright with you Seyren?"

"Heh, like I have much say now that two girls are bearing down on me," answered Seyren before standing up. He crossed his arms as he declared, "Well that settles it. One more job here, and we're off to Juno."

Cecil exclaimed "Alright!" before patting Howard on the back, who merely grunted incoherently. Seyren sat back down and started finishing his last few loaves of bread. Kathryne turned towards Eremes, hoping to start a conversation with him. She was about to say something when Margaretha spoke first to Eremes.

"Isn't this great? You'll finally be able to figure out something about your past," said Margaretha. Eremes smiled back at her and said, "Yeah, well I'm still not entirely sure. But any lead will do."

Kathryne shifted her gaze towards her lap. She felt really awkward since she saw Margaretha and Eremes together that morning, and she did not understand why. She had always seen the two of them together before, but somehow, it felt different that morning. She took her half-empty glass of grape juice and finished it before standing up and saying, "I think I'll head back upstairs." The others simply nodded at her before continuing what they were doing so she strode off.

The moment Kathryne reached the stairway she climbed up each step quickly, careful not to step on the hem of her cloak. When she reached the bedroom that she shared with Margaretha and Cecil, she approached her bed and sat on it. She took of her cloak and placed it next to her before closing her eyes and lying on the bed. She felt slightly feverish. _Yeah that's it_, she thought. _I'm just feeling a bit sick_. But then again, the weather outside was great and the accommodations were not exactly that bad so she thought to herself once more: _Why?_

_

* * *

_After what felt like a few hours to Kathryne, a knock came from the door. "Kathryne, you in there?" The voice belonged to Margaretha. Kathryne sat up and said, "Yeah, come in." Margaretha opened the doors before sliding them close behind her. She then approached the bed across Kathryne's and sat on it.

"Are you alright?" asked Margaretha, her expression worried. "You just seemed a bit strange down at breakfast." Kathryne bit her lip and looked down. She did not want to say, "_You're the one making me feel strange" _so she said, "It's nothing important, really."

"I can tell that it isn't just nothing, you know," said Margaretha. When Kathryne did not stir, Margaretha stood up and, recalling what Howard told her the other day, said, "Well, I'll wait for when you're ready to talk about it."

"Um, thanks…" said Kathryne, her mouth dry. Margaretha nodded before getting up and proceeded to head back out. As she stood up however, she accidentally stepped on Kathryne's cloak, nearly tripping her and dragging the cloak down on the floor. Kathryne stood up to help Margaretha remove the cloak caught on her ankle. As she pulled it off, a letter fell from inside it.

"A letter?" asked Kathryne uncertainly. As she picked it up, Margaretha righted herself and moved behind Kathryne to see the seal on the envelope. "That's—" gasped Margaretha. The seal on the letter was an ornate symbol of a snake. Kathryne stared at the symbol with a look of curiosity. She remembered receiving this letter from a messenger before she left Geffen with the caravan to Morroc, but forgot she had it until now. "Do you know what this is Margaretha?" asked Kathryne.

"It's the family symbol of the Weinders," answered Margaretha. "I've heard of them because the family head and his wife came to the mass at the Prontera Sanctuary every day of the week that I stayed there."

"That so?" Kathryne looked at the symbol once more. It was oddly familiar. When she proceeded to retrieve the letter inside, she hesitated. The symbol stuck to her head even as she closed her eyes. Blurry images filled her mind, but she shook them off as quickly as they came. "_Now is not the time to get lost in my own thoughts,"_ she said to herself.

"But why would the Weinders send a letter to you?"

"Who knows? Maybe the courier made a mistake or whatnot. Only one way to find out though." Kathryne tore the envelope open and retrieved the letter inside. As she unfolded the letter, she noted that the paper was not made from any tree found around Rune-Midgard. The writing was elegant in cursive. She shook her head, telling herself not to focus too much on the small details, before proceeding to read the message. The first line immediately caught her attention.

_To our beloved daughter,_

Daughter? The images came back once more in the back of her mind, this time refusing to be simply shaken off. Kathryne closed her eyes. She could see faint images in her mind, but no familiar voices. She felt uncomfortable so she reopened her eyes. She proceeded to read the rest of the letter, nearly forgetting that Margaretha was right behind her, reading with her.

_To our beloved daughter,_

_It has been several years since we last saw one another. How have you been? We know that the circumstances surrounding your departure were largely caused by our own faults, but as a wise man once said, time heals all wounds and anger. The sun has long set, and our anger along with it. We hope that the same has happened for you as well._

_Please come home. We wish to see your face, even just once more. We are not sure what has happened to you these last few years, but whatever may have happened, we will welcome you home with open arms. Please consider our feelings._

_Sincerely,_

_Lord and Lady Weinder_

_Weinder Family Estate_

As Kathryne finished reading, she felt dazed. A hand on her shoulder caused her to start, but she calmed down when Margaretha relaxed her grip.

"I-I didn't know… That you were the daughter of the Weinder household…" said Margaretha, not really knowing what to say. "But… didn't you say your last name was Keyron?"

Kathryne looked at the letter once more. There must be some mistake. The images from the back of her mind were pushing once more, but this time, she firmly kept them back. For some reason, she wanted to wad up the letter and throw it out of the window. Maybe even burn it with her magic to be surely rid of it.

"What's wrong?" asked Margaretha. Kathryne looked over her shoulder and said, "There has to be some mistake. I am Kathryne Keyron, student of the Geffen Mage Academy. Not the daughter from some rich estate somewhere in Al de Baran."

"B-But… Kathryne."

"What?"

"I never mentioned that the estate is found in Al de Baran. All I said that the Weinder couple came to mass… Kathryne?"

Impossible. Kathryne told herself that she did not know these people. But if she did simply get rid of the letter, it will never leave the back of her mind. She refolded the letter and replaced it inside her cloak before getting up. She proceeded towards the door and said, "Margaretha, I have a change of plans."

"W-What?"

"I'm heading to Al de Baran." Kathryne hesitated before adding, "…and I need to go alone."

"A-Alone?" repeated Margaretha. She quickly approached Kathryne but Kathryne held up a hand to stop her.

"I'm really sorry Margaretha, but this… I have to do alone."

"But—"

"Please." Kathryne's eyes were ablaze with conviction. Margaretha knew that she could not convince her otherwise. Instead, she said, "Good luck, and come back soon." Kathryne nodded thankfully before heading out the door. Before she could completely slide the doors close behind her, she held back and said, "And can you tell everyone else why I need to go?" Margaretha nodded so Kathryne closed the door behind her.

As she pulled her cloak over herself once more, she met an unexpected person near the top of the stairway.

"Why do you need to go alone?" asked Eremes, his arms folded and his face hidden beneath the conical hat which for some reason he chose to put on while their still indoors. Kathryne did not meet his gaze but strode past him, saying, "I never figured you to be the eavesdropping sort, Eremes."

Before Kathryne could take the first step down the stairs however, Eremes said, "I'm going with you."

Kathryne felt heat creeping up her body. That was the last thing she expected to hear from him. She shook her head however and said, "You heard me, I need to do this alone."

"I know I told you the same thing several times before," said Eremes. "But you never listened. So don't expect me to listen to you now."

Kathryne hesitated. Has she ever said that to him before? She could not remember. "What are you talking about?" she asked, pulling back to meet his gaze.

"I—" Eremes looked more unsure of himself. But his gaze became determined as he said, "You're always the first one to butt in on my business. You're the one who convinces me to tell everyone what I'm keeping to myself… I just… can't let you do this one alone."

Kathryne was stunned. She never expected Eremes to say something like that. She could not help but chuckle to herself on how embarrassing Eremes sounded right then. She even almost forgot the fury welling up inside her since she read the letter. She looked at Eremes's eyes and asked, "Well if I can't stop you…" She hesitated. "But what about Margaretha?"

"Margaretha…" Eremes looked over his shoulder towards the door to the room where Kathryne came from. He then looked back at Kathryne and answered, "You're as much my friend as Margaretha is. And besides, everyone else will be here with her."

Kathryne smiled to herself. She felt really happy with that arrangement but somehow felt a little guilty. She ultimately decided however that feeling guilty now would not help her, so she offered her hand to Eremes and asked, "Well then, are you ready to go?" Eremes nodded before grasping Kathryne's outstretched hand. "Born ready," he answered with a confident smile. Kathryne nodded happily before pulling Eremes down the stairs, refusing to let go of his hand.

The two of them however, failed to notice that the door to the girls' room was open at just a crack. Margaretha opened the doors completely before stepping out. She looked towards the stairway before whispering to herself, "Kathryne… I never knew." She looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes. "Sorry, I must've been really insensitive…" She proceeded to sit down on the chair where Kathryne sat earlier, and quietly surveyed her two friends running up the path that she took just that morning.


	18. Chapter 18 We Do What We Must

A light rain was pouring down on the port town of Alberta and the usually busy streets were cleared except for the most devoted of merchants who protected their wares with umbrellas. Two cloaked individuals strode through the wet streets. They appeared to be trying their best to remain unnoticeable, but the merchants, intending to present their wares to them, did not help them. Fortunately for them, they arrived at the town square with little incident.

"Remind me again why we went all the way here?" asked Eremes as he approached a nearby lamp post and leaned against it. Kathryne, who was wearing the hood of her cloak for the first time, moved to stand next to him before answering, "Like I told you, we are less likely to be found here than in Payon."

"It's not like we're being followed, are we?" asked Eremes.

"Um…"

Ever since Kathryne saw the letter, a feeling of disgust and wariness welled up within her. Vague, but seemingly unpleasant memories were pushing at the back of her mind, demanding to be recalled clearly, but Kathryne did not want to recall. Still, she wanted to remain as cautious as possible while keeping her mind on more important things.

"Please just trust me, I know what I'm doing," said Kathryne pleadingly. Eremes held up both hands before saying reassuringly, "Hey, I wasn't bagging on you or anything, so don't worry.

Kathryne nodded in relief before leaning on the other side of the lamp post Eremes was leaning on. She shifted her gaze towards the relatively small crowd who are apparently unfazed by the drizzle of rain. "Wonder where he could be…" said Kathryne as she pulled her cloak tighter around her.

"I think it was really inconvenient for him you know," said Eremes, referring to whoever Kathryne was speaking of. "…At least he was nice enough to accept."

"Yeah…" replied Kathryne, trailing off. Her mind became blank for a moment when Eremes lowered his arm, accidentally bumping his hand against hers. She resisted the reflex to pull away. She stole a glance towards Eremes, who was gazing at the dark sky, apparently not feeling the same way she was. She looked away, thinking why she felt so uncomfortable. She remembered what happened back at the inn at Payon, when Eremes insisted coming with her. Back then, she felt really happy, but now that she had time to think about it, she wondered why. She looked once more at the hand dangling next to her and made a slight movement to hold it when suddenly Eremes spoke.

"It was such a nice morning too at Payon…" he said.

Startled, Kathryne withdrew her hand. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before saying, "Yeah, but the wind was blowing really hard remember? Must be a signal of a coming storm."

Eremes nodded in agreement. Kathryne sighed before pulling her cloak tighter around her once more. She wished that she had taken the time to buy a better coat. She gazed once more at the bustling crowd and hoped that the one they were waiting for would come soon. She shivered as she felt the rain start to become stronger. She had held a hand at her nose to stop herself from sneezing when Eremes placed a hand on her arm. "H-Huh? W-What is it?" she asked nervously.

"You're cold," said Eremes concernedly before taking off his cloak and placing it around her. Kathryne shifted uncomfortably in protest, but Eremes ignored her. "Remind me to get you a nice coat when we have the time," he said.

Kathryne lowered her hood to hide her face as she felt the thicker cloak on top of hers. She was nonplussed at Eremes's gesture and she wondered if there was any meaning behind it. "T-Thanks…" she said in a quiet voice before turning away from Eremes. She then realized that Eremes no longer had protection from the rain so she said, "Um… But you're getting wet!..."

"Heh, don't worry," replied Eremes as he leaned against the lamp post once more. "A bath should keep me from getting sick."

"Listen, just take your cloak back…"

Before the two of them could argue some more, a young man appeared from within the crowd and made their way towards them. It was a young priest. He was shielding himself from the rain using a hardbound book and he was muttering in disdain at the stained, wet end of his robes.

"Sorry, I had to fix things with my guildmaster," said the priest when he reached the lamp post the other two were next to. "…But really, we could've done this sooner back at Payon."

"I'm sorry, but I have my reasons," replied Kathryne in an apologetic voice. The priest waved her off and said, "It's alright. It's just a bit unusual." He then took out a blue stone from his pocket and began muttering an incantation. Before he could finish, he stopped and said, "The rain's getting stronger. Let's go find some shelter first."

The other two nodded. They proceeded to the nearby equipment shop for it was closest. Good thing too, for as soon as Eremes closed the door of the shop behind him, the rain started coming down in torrents. The shopkeeper, who was reading a book while leaning against a chair behind the counter, only glanced at the three of them once. He mumbled something about having to mop the floors clean later, causing Kathryne to glance guiltily at the other two, both of them shrugging.

"Let's get this over quickly," said the priest before taking out the blue gemstone once more and finished reciting the incantation. After a second, a rift opened with a crack next to the three of them, briefly causing Kathryne's cloaks to billow behind her. Eremes held on to his hat to keep it from being knocked off. After a few more seconds, the portal in front of them stabilized, revealing an opening for them to enter. The priest motioned at the other two to enter first and they quickly did so. After the three of them disappeared, the shopkeeper glanced at where the portal was, and mumbled irritably once more. Planning to fix the inventory disturbed by the opening of the portal, he got up and walked around the counter. He was only half-way across the room when the door opened once more, this time bringing a strong gust of wind with it.

"Sorry to bother you with this kind of weather," said the intruder as he took of his wet cloak. "I have some business to attend to."

"Well, I'll be," said the shopkeeper as he got a good look at his visitor who turned out to be a middle-aged alchemist with spectacles and dishevelled white hair. "Never thought I'd see your ugly mug here again."

"Heh, nice to see you again too, old-timer," said the alchemist in response to the greeting. The shopkeeper pulled up a chair from a nearby table and motioned at the alchemist to sit.

"I never thought I'd get to see these stuff again…" said the alchemist as he looked around the store. "Business a little slow?"

"Heh, it's mostly you adventurers' fault," answered the shopkeeper as he sat down in front of the alchemist. The alchemist shook his head before saying, "I'm not the kind who participates in the commercial race of our fair country."

"So, you're one of those fellas who go after those, what do you call em'? 'Worthier pursuits'?"

The alchemists chuckled as he answered, "Yeah, that. Which reminds me of why I came here." The alchemist placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his fingers. "Did two… or rather three adventurers go through here?" he asked, his expression now serious and his tone gruff.

"What you stalking em' or something?" asked the shopkeeper, unfazed by the alchemist's sudden change in expression. "Yeah, but they left as soon as they came in. Didn't do so calmly and orderly though," he added as he gestured at the equipment that had fallen from their displays near where the portal opened. "And I thought you said you were after worthier pursuits."

"Indeed I am," replied the alchemist as he relaxed his expression. "Lives are at stake here, and I'm the only one who can protect those lives."

"So you're a hero now, are you?" asked the shopkeeper, his tone mocking. "And what about everything else you ever did?"

"I did what I thought was right, alright?" answered the alchemist as he sat up. "It's been a while since I figured I was wrong, and there's no point dwelling in that. I have to do what I can now."

"Hmph, then I guess I'll have to help you after all," said the shopkeeper as he sat up as well and crossed his arms. "So what about em'? Those fellas who were here earlier?"

"Did you get a clear view of them? Were you able to tell from which guild they were from?" asked the alchemist. The shopkeeper furrowed his eyebrows as he thought back. He answered, "Well the priest was obvious enough. There was the other guy, had a funny straw hat or something… A thief. And the last, well I didn't actually see well cause' she was wearing a cloak and a hood." He thought for another moment and said, "Well actually, I did briefly see her wearing skimpy clothing underneath the cloak when the priest opened a warp portal. …Kids these days." He frowned. "Probably a mage. Don't see too many of those come in here."

"A portal huh?" repeated the alchemist. "A mage and a thief. The mage must be the Keyron girl… and the thief…" His expression became gloomy. The shopkeeper noticed this and asked, "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing," replied the alchemist as he straightened his glasses. "Just… an old story."

"Well I won't press you for details," said the shopkeeper with a nod. "But now let me do the asking around here. How's the other one doing?"

"Him…?" The alchemist's expression darkened. "He's lost."

"Lost huh?" repeated the shopkeeper as he moved his gaze to the ceiling. "Any way to bring the runt back?"

"Doubt it. The him you and I know is long gone."

The shopkeeper sighed as he closed his eyes. He then stood up before asking, "Do you want anything to drink? I'm sure your old 'nough now. I've got ale."

"Yeah, sure."

The shopkeeper nodded before heading towards the door next to the counter. He came back a few minutes later carrying two empty mugs and large bottle of ale. He approached the alchemist and set everything on the table before saying, "This aint no bar son. Pour your own drink." The alchemist smiled and nodded. The shopkeeper allowed the alchemist to pour himself a drink first before taking the bottle and pouring one for himself. Holding his mug, he then sat back down on his chair, lifted his mug, muttered, "To Odin," before downing his mug in three gulps.

The alchemist however only stared at his mug. After a few minutes, the shopkeeper asked, "What are you planning to do? And does he know that you're here?"

"It's all secret for now," answered the alchemist. "…And no, he doesn't. As far as I know anyway." He looked out the window and sighed. The dark skies did not help to improve his mood. He then said, "I doubt that he even remembers this place anyway."

"Hah, I always said that kid was bound for great things," said the shopkeeper before pouring himself another pint. "But I'll be damned if he really did forget this place. There aint no future for someone who forgets his roots."

The alchemist gave a hollow laugh in response. "He's doing pretty well for someone who's forgotten his roots," he said.

"Hah! Trust me, he won't stay on top like that."

"I really hope you're right," said the alchemist before finally drinking his mug. He wiped off his mouth before adding, "I might not be able to change him back, but if he does fall as you say, it might do him some good."

"Yeah, that's a possibility too," replied the shopkeeper as his expression brightened. "If he does, bring him back here so I can rough him up for a bit for not visiting after all these years."

"…Yeah, I hope I can," answered the alchemist as he smiled. "Well, moving on, do you know where those three went?"

"You mean those youngsters? I don't know. People come in here to find a quiet place to warp from. They don't usually talk about where they are going, especially with an old man watching 'em." He laughed heartily before downing another pint. "So no, I don't."

"Hm, I see." The alchemist stood up and said, "Well at least now I know who are still at Payon. I better go back before anyone else leaves." He put his cloak back on and headed back to the entrance of the shop. The shopkeeper shouted after him, asking, "Why are you doing all this again?"

"Like I said…" The alchemist opened the door, letting in another strong gust of wind. "I'm the only one who can do this. To make things right." He strode out and quickly closed the door behind him. He sauntered across the street, ignoring the heavy downpour on him. His conversation with the shopkeeper filled his mind with hope for the future so he could not let the weather get him down.

* * *

The trio reappeared with a crack between a large white building and a length of wall. Kathryne nearly tripped over as her feet landed on solid white stone, and Eremes, facing her, caught her by the shoulders. As her hood fell back, her face went within inches from his. Flushing, she pulled back quickly before the other two could notice. Eremes merely looked surprised, while the priest coughed noncommittally. After they settled down, Eremes observed the surroundings and asked, "Is this Al de Baran? Never been here… I think." He took off his hat, seeing that it was no longer raining.

"Yes, I think so," answered Kathryne, her voice sounding a little uncertain as she placed a hand against the stone wall next to her. As much as possible she wanted to avoid digging through her memories, for surely, she thought, other less pleasant ones will come to light.

"Have the two of you never come to Al de Baran before?" asked the priest. Eremes shook his head saying, "I just said that, didn't I? As for her…" He looked at Kathryne, who shook her head hesitantly. The priest looked around and said, "It's been a while since I came here. But I can definitely remember that this is the back of the main building of Kafra Corp. Just check out front if I'm wrong."

"Kafra Corp. huh…" Eremes stared at the wall of the tall building once more. "I guess all that's left to do is find whoever sent you that mail then. You got the envelope?"

Kathryne started. She recalled discarding the envelope back at Payon. She looked at Eremes apologetically before answering, "I left the envelope back at Payon."

"That so…?"

"I can't help overhearing but you could try asking inside the building," suggested the priest. "There's a post office inside. You could just ask for the return address… Actually, now that I think about it, you can't do that…"

"Why not?"

"Well you need proof that you're the receiver of the letter. That means you still need the envelope." The priest shrugged as he added, "I guess you're best bet is to ask directions."

Kathryne hesitated. She wanted to remain as cautious and as discreet as possible. Asking around the city will certainly draw attention. "Is there no other way? The place I need to go to is the Weinder estate."

"Weinder? Sorry doesn't ring a bell. I'm not from around here…" answered the priest. "But I really think you should just ask directions. You could ask from a local Kafra…"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," said Eremes. "We'll do that."

"Well, I'm glad to be of help." The priest nodded at them once more. Then he realized that he was sopping wet. He stared at his ruined book with a grimace before saying, "Good luck with whatever you two are doing. Just dry off first before you catch a cold."

"Wait!" Kathryne grabbed the priest's arm. "We'll also need a way back to Payon. Can you please wait near the Kafra woman south of the clock tower?"

"Hey, wait, how did you know about the clock tower? I thought you said you hadn't been here before." Kathryne ignored his question and continued to look at him pleadingly. "Listen, I have to meet up with my guildmaster later so I…" Seeing her puppy-dog eyes, the priest sighed before saying, "Fine, but you have an hour." When Kathryne did not withdraw her gaze, he sighed once more before saying, "Fine, two."

"Thank you!" exclaimed Kathryne thankfully before grabbing Eremes by the hand and dragging him off around the building. After the two of them had rounded a corner, the priest turned around and walked off in the opposite direction. He sighed as he said to himself, "The things I get myself into… The guildmaster is going to kill me."


	19. Chapter 19 A Noble Girl's Memories

The sky over the city of Al de Baran was relatively clear but distant booms of thunder from the horizon signified that the storm from the south was moving northwards. Kathryne, having returned Eremes's cloak to him and gripping her own cloak tightly around her, ran through the streets of the northern part of the city with Eremes not too far behind her. They had managed to accost a lone Kafra girl about to enter the corporation building a while ago. She told them that the estate they were looking for was somewhere around the north-western part of the city. This prompted the two to find the estate quickly before the storm catches up to them.

"How are we supposed to know which building is the right one?" asked Eremes as the two of them rounded a corner. "We forgot to ask for a landmark…"

Kathryne continued to run ahead of him as she thought to herself. She looked around the street and every building as she ran and she found them to be vaguely familiar. "I think we're going the right way," she replied. She was mildly thankful that the area was devoid of people, since most adventurers visiting the city hung around near the clock tower. After a while, the two of them passed a wrought-iron gate. Kathryne had a quick glance on what was on the gate so she motioned at Eremes to stop running.

"I think this is it," said Kathryne, sounding a little nervous. Eremes nodded as the two of them halted. The two of them walked towards the gate and stopped just in front of it. There was an ornate medium-sized symbol at the middle of the gate. Kathryne gulped nervously as she realized that it was the same serpent symbol on the envelope of her letter. She then looked past the gate towards the white manor behind it. The manor itself was only a little larger than the other surrounding buildings, but it was remarkable because it had two large, elegant wooden doors, each with a golden knocker, at the front.

"…This is definitely it," said Kathryne, affirming her previous notion. She glanced at Eremes, who was surveying the symbol on the gate with interest, and asked, "So… how do we get in?" Though she had told Eremes about the letter, she had withheld the fact that she was allegedly the daughter of nobleman. Eremes only knew that the letter asked her to come to Al de Baran.

"Hm, I don't know," answered Eremes as he felt the symbol on the gate with his right hand. It felt very cold to the touch. "If there was a guard or something, we could ask to get in, I guess but…" He glanced briefly to his left and right. "…no guard around here. Taking a break, maybe?"

Kathryne bit her lip. She was not sure if it was a good or bad thing that their progress was halted here. Part of her told her to just walk away, but she decided that if she did, then their journey here would be pointless. She grasped one of the bars on the gate and shook vigorously, causing a squeaking noise as the hinges of the gate creaked with the shaking. Eremes quickly grabbed her wrist and said, "H-Hey, I don't think that's a good idea."

Kathryne sighed as she released her grip. "There has got to be a way in…" she said. Eremes looked at the windows of the second floor of the manor and asked, "Is anyone even home? I don't see any movement from inside." He turned to Kathryne and asked, "I meant to ask you ever since you told me about the letter, but I didn't get a chance. But right now is a better time than any, I believe." He crossed his arms as Kathryne, looking nervous, faced him. "Why exactly did these people send you a letter?" He glanced at the manor once more. "Judging from the residence, I'd say that whoever lives here isn't just anyone."

"I…" Kathryne began to speak, but she became silent. How could she tell him when she was not so sure herself? That her alleged parents had sent for her? That she was the daughter of a rich nobleman? She met Eremes's gaze. His eyes told her that he was not trying to interrogate her, but rather he wanted to understand the complete reason why she wanted to come to this place.

"Well?" asked Eremes, interrupting her train of thought. Kathryne sighed and answered, "I-I suppose this time I can't just ask you to trust me, can I?"

Eremes glanced at the symbol on the gate once more. He unfolded his arms and said, "…Well, if you don't want to talk about it right now, I understand. But I want to hear everything before we get back to Payon." Kathryne hesitated but decided that if she could somehow disprove the allegations implied in the letter, then she would not have to explain anything. She nodded, accepting the agreement, despite the nagging thought at the back of her mind asking her: what if what is written in the letter is true? That she really was a noble's daughter.

"I promise to tell you everything later."

As she spoke, one of the front doors of the manor opened with a loud creak, startling the two of them. The one who opened the door was a middle-aged man wearing an elegant but worn-looking suit. When he saw the two adventurers hanging around the front of his gate, he opened his mouth to berate them. However, his eye caught Kathryne's face, and his supposedly furious outburst turned to a gasp.

"Y-You're…!" he stammered, mouth agape. Eremes looked curiously from the man to Kathryne, who looked nonplussed. The man holding the door then calmed himself down and said to himself, "I-I must be tired. J-Just tired, that's all…" He lowered his head, trying not to look at the two behind the gate.

"Excuse me, sir," said Kathryne, finally finding words. "May I ask if you're the head of this household?" The man, still not looking at them, answered, "Y-Yes… But I'm not accepting visitors at this time."

"Oh…" said Kathryne, sounding mildly disappointed. Somehow the man's face looked even more familiar to her than the manor. The rough, strong features of his face stayed within her mind despite the fact that she only managed to get a brief look at his face. She then shook her head before saying to Eremes, "Let's go… We… We've got the wrong place."

Before Eremes could protest a woman's voice came from inside the manor. "Is there something wrong, dear?" A few seconds later, a middle-aged woman appeared from behind the door and, seeing her husband's posture, walked past him to see what was going on. When she saw Kathryne's face, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Eremes looked at her curiously when suddenly he felt Kathryne grab his wrist. As he rounded to face Kathryne, he saw tears welling up in her eyes. Confused, Eremes glanced behind him and saw that the woman was making her way towards the gate. She shouted, "Wait! Kathryne…!" But Eremes felt Kathryne tug at him once more. Eremes noticed the pleading look in her eyes so he nodded, grabbed her hand, and ran back the way they came. They did not stop despite the shouts from behind them pleading them to.

The two of them did not stop running until the mansion was long out of their sight. Eremes stopped first when he thought that they had put enough distance between them and the manor, but Kathryne did not stop and nearly stumbled had Eremes not pulled her back. She quickly pulled away her hand from Eremes's and, keeping her back towards him, slowly stepped forward.

"I think," she said, her voice sounding slightly hoarse but determined. "Now is the time for me to tell you why I wanted to come here…" She slowly reached into her cloak and pulled out the letter. Eremes grasped the other end of the letter and waited for Kathryne to give him a sign to take it. She nodded so Eremes quickly took it and unfolded it. His expression changed from curious to blank as he read the contents. By the time he finished the letter and raised his head, Kathryne was facing him, her eyes red.

"I didn't, I really didn't want to remember," she said, her voice sounding clearer now. "But I did, and now… I'm here." Not wanting to see how Eremes would react, Kathryne lowered her gaze towards his feet. "Do you remember, back then, when I told you I was an orphan? I lied." Kathryne closed her eyes. Wanting to find words to tell Eremes, she allowed the thoughts that she were purposefully keeping back to finally flow freely into her mind. She took a deep breath and began to speak.

"My real name is Kathryne Weinder," she said. "…of the Weinder Family, a noble family here in Al de Baran. I left…" Her expression became unsure. "…A long time ago, because of an argument with my parents."

"When my father went to Geffen once for an important business meeting, he took me and my mother with him. I visited the Geffen Academy then." Her eyes seemed to light up despite herself. "It was wonderful being there. At home, I was only taught to be a proper lady, to speak elegantly, to act elegantly… I was never given a chance to find my own interests, to pursue a future apart from what was already laid out for me." She sighed before continuing. "But at the academy, I learned many things. Historical and educational texts, tales of adventurers… I was particularly interested in magic. I asked the headmaster to allow me to study there, but he told me I needed to become a recognized adventurer by the council at Prontera first."

"I asked my parents if I could go to Prontera to become a recognized adventurer. Of course they refused. Vehemently I might add. My father was especially furious when I told him that I considered becoming a mage." She grimaced. "…for stupid reasons too." She then changed her voice to mimic her father's voice. "'Have you seen those girl mages strutting about all over the city? The capital, even! I do not understand why the king would allow such lewd attire. And magic! It's unnatural! The devil's art…'"

"Yeah, they were stupid, mostly unfounded reasons, but to my father, they were good enough to keep me from becoming a mage. I was tired of the life I had led up to that point, so I left before the following morning, when the guards had fallen asleep. The headmaster was kind enough to take me in, and he even handled the process of me becoming a recognized adventurer." She smiled fondly. "Well the rest is history… until I met you and everyone else."

Eremes, silent the entire time, pondered about what he had just heard. "…Why were you so cautious when coming here?" he asked. Kathryne answered, "I was running away from home, so I couldn't help feeling uneasy. I was afraid of being followed…"

"I see." Eremes only asked the question to give himself more time to think. Somehow, he could not help noting how contrasting Kathryne's relationship to her parents is to the memory of his relationship with his parents. The vision he had several days ago gave him an image of his mother that of a sweet and gentle soul. The image of his father that he formed in his mind based on what his mother told him was similar as well. He sighed. He could not help thinking that Kathryne seemed not to appreciate her parents enough. He on the other hand, would almost give anything to get his parents back. Ultimately, he decided that he was too unsure of his own vision and that he knew too little about Kathryne's family to draw a solid conclusion. When he looked once more at Kathryne's face he saw a worried expression. He felt guilty for having such critical thoughts so he gently asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing," answered Kathryne as she lowered her head once more. "…It's just because… that look on your face." Eremes started as she spoke. "I was afraid… that you might think less of me when I revealed my past. Now… you do, don't you?"

"Huh, what? No!" Eremes quickly approached her and exclaimed, "I don't think any less of you! I was just thinking of something else a while ago…" When Kathryne did not lift her face, Eremes, not knowing what else to do, embraced her, much to her surprise. Realizing what he had just done, he quickly released her before turning away.

"L-Listen," said Eremes, keeping his face out of sight. "I'm really glad you told me about this. I don't care if you're a nobleman's daughter. You're still Kathryne, one of us. You'll always be one of us." Feeling the heat leave his face, he turned to face Kathryne once more. "You shouldn't worry about me thinking any differently of you. We're friends aren't we?"

Kathryne, still dumbfounded from the brief embrace she received from Eremes, snapped back to reality. It took her a moment to take in what Eremes had just said. She then smiled and said, "Yeah… Yeah, you're right. I'm glad…" Her eyes twinkled as she met Eremes's gaze. "I'm glad."

The two became silent for a while. Eremes still felt a bit dazed from what he just did a while ago, so he was busily reconstructing his thoughts. Kathryne was the one who broke the silence. "So, have you done that to every girl you met?" she asked, referring to the hug she received earlier from him. "If so, you ought to be ashamed. I didn't give you permission to get fresh with me."

"It didn't mean anything alright?" answered Eremes, his face turning red once more. "It was, just a… spur of the moment thing…"

"Oh?"

"A-And besides, this is the first time I've done that. A-And I'm not going to do that again, mind you!"

Kathryne smiled. She somehow felt glad hearing that she was the first girl to ever receive a hug from him. Though feeling a little guilty, she pressed him further, asking, "Not even Margaretha?"

"W-What? N-No I don't remember ever... hugging her…" He shook his head and asked, "Why on earth did you ask that?"

"Oh, nothing at all," she said cheerfully as she turned her back on him. "Well, I guess we better get going then." She began to walk so Eremes ran to get next to her. Glad to find a chance to change the subject and to find more answers, he asked, "What about your parents? Aren't you going to settle things with them?" Kathryne's cheer briefly dissipated as he asked. She answered, "Someday… But not today. I'm not ready to see them yet, so it seems."

"Okay, I understand." Eremes thought for a moment before asking another question. "How long ago was it since you left your home?"

"You know, now that I think about it, I don't really know when exactly. My memory's a bit fuzzy… It's a bit strange actually. I don't seem to remember much of what happened after I became a mage…" She stopped walking, looking confused. "When did I become a mage?"

"Last week? About the same time as everyone else got their respective class advancements?"

"…I know but, I remember becoming a mage much sooner than that! N-Now I'm really confused."

Eremes stopped as well. _Kathryne too?,_ he thought to himself. He himself felt very confused with his own memories and their proper chronology. A huge chunk of his memory seemed to be missing, and he thought that maybe it was the same for Kathryne. He decided that he needed to make sure first so he thought of a plan.

"Why don't we go to Geffen?" he suggested. "You can talk to the headmaster so you can make sure." Kathryne's eyes lit up. She turned to him quickly and exclaimed, "That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Her pace quickened so Eremes ran to keep up. "I don't know why I didn't talk to the headmaster back then but no point wondering about that."

Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder, startling the two of them, and drops of rain began to fall. Kathryne motioned at Eremes to hurry as they ran, heading towards the center of the city. A disgruntled priest was awaiting the two of them as they arrived at the front of the clock tower. The downpour seemed to have forced the usual crowd in front of the tower to find shelter, so they only found a few stragglers left.

"Well, I guess you just made it in time," said the priest loudly enough to be heard through the rain. "Wish you could've gotten here sooner though. Well, let me open a portal to Payon."

"Um actually, I was wondering if you could take us to Geffen instead?" asked Kathryne, putting her puppy-dog eyes expression once more. Unfortunately, the rain seemed to lessen its desired effect since the priest shook his head and answered, "I told you that I needed to get back as well. I can't afford to get side-tracked any longer."

"You don't have to come with us there," said Eremes. "Just open us a portal there and we'll go ourselves. We'll find a way back on our own."

"Well… I guess we that would work. But why the sudden interest to go to Geffen?" The priest then thought for a moment before saying, "Actually, it's not like it's any of my business. Fine, I'll open a portal just inside the clock tower."

"Wait, if you were going to do that, why didn't you just wait for us inside when it started to rain?" asked Kathryne.

"That's…" The priest's face reddened slightly. "Do you want to go or not?"

"Alright, alright fine."

The three of them stepped into the entrance of the clock tower and found themselves in front of a stairwell heading towards a lower floor. The priest quickly withdrew another blue stone from his pocket and muttered another incantation. A portal opened with a crack in front of them, and as soon as it had stabilized, Kathryne smiled at the priest before quickly stepping into the portal. Eremes was about to follow but hung back when he realized something.

"I almost forgot, here's payment for the warp." Eremes handed the priest a small satchel of zeny. The priest nodded in thanks before saying, "I almost forgot too. Well don't let me keep you here." Eremes nodded before entering the portal as well. The priest sat down in front of the portal and quietly waited for it to dissipate. After it vanished, the priest stood up and leaned over to wring out the water from the bottom of his robes. Suddenly, a large shadow appeared on the floor, startling the priest and caused him to look up. The one that made the shadow was a falcon, which dropped a tied up scroll on top of the priest's head before perching on top of an unlit torch in a dark, nearby corner. The falcon cawed irritably as it ruffled its feathers to get rid of the water. The priest unrolled the scroll and grimaced as he read the contents. He pocketed the scroll when he finished reading it and motioned at the falcon. The falcon flew towards him and gripped its claws tightly on the priest's shoulder, causing him to wince. He took out another blue stone and opened another portal. As he stepped through it, he muttered to himself, "Now she's really going to kill me…"

* * *

Author's note:

Do you think I should rewrite the earlier chapters to conform to my current writing style? Comments please.


	20. Chapter 20 Welcome Back Miss Kathryne!

Eremes and Kathryne made it to Geffen without any problems, and made a dash for the academy as soon as they arrived. When they reached the entrance of the academy however, Kathryne held out an arm to stop Eremes.

"I'll take it from here. Can you wait outside for a while?" asked Kathryne. Eremes decided that it would only be fair for Kathryne to restore her memories on her own since he had done the same, albeit incompletely. He nodded and answered, "I'll wait for you out here. Take your time."

Kathryne smiled at him as a thank you before entering the building. As soon as she entered, she smiled at the familiarity. The academy itself was not that big but Kathryne knew that the influence of the study of magic reaches much further than what could be contained inside this building. She had only taken a few steps when she was knocked over by two younger mages, a boy and a girl.

The boy, who was the one who had caused most of the impact and was also knocked down, stood up and said, "Watch it lady!" His companion however, smacked him at the back of the head with her palm before saying, "That's not nice! Say sorry to the lady."

"Um…" Kathryne could not help forgetting her current problem and smiled at the two kids in front of her. She slowly got up and noticed that her cloak had fallen on the floor, producing a puddle. This made Kathryne remember that she had just gotten out of the rain. She shivered slightly as a gust of wind blew in from outside. Before she could try to warm herself, the mage girl grabbed her hand.

"It's you Miss Kathryne!" exclaimed the mage girl, bouncing excitedly. Her companion, hearing what she said, leaned over her shoulder to get a better look at Kathryne. His face reddened as he said, "I-It really is…"

"Miss Kathryne, where have you been?" asked the mage girl. The question confused Kathryne. Unable to respond, she looked from the blushing mage boy to the excited mage girl in front of her several times. The mage girl then stopped bouncing and tilted her head at Kathryne curiously. "Is Miss Kathryne alright?" she asked, her expression becoming slightly worried.

"Uh… Um…" stammered Kathryne, still unable to think of a response.

"Can't you see Miss Kathryne is shivering?" scolded the mage boy. "Um, Miss Kathryne, if you don't mind, I can get you a towel."

Kathryne nodded thankfully and said, "Yes, thank you." The boy nodded vigorously before running off to get a towel. The mage girl blew a raspberry at him as he left.

"Miss Kathryne, I just noticed…" said the mage girl, taking a step back to get a better look at Kathryne. "Why are you wearing that outfit? Did you have your wizard robes dry-cleaned?"

"Um… what?" asked Kathryne, sounding more confused than ever. She then remembered why she returned to the academy so she decided to finish her business first before entertaining the questions of the student in front of her. She patted the mage girl gently on the head before asking, "I'm here to meet the headmaster. Have you seen him?"

The mage girl pouted as she pushed away Kathryne's hand before before answering, "The headmaster is looking for something in the library. You can just wait for him…" She then grabbed Kathryne's arm tightly, much to Kathryne's surprise. "Miss Kathryne, please stay awhile!" exclaimed the mage girl pleadingly.

"Um, but…" She glanced guiltily towards the entrance of the academy, thinking of Eremes. She gently pulled her arm away from the mage girl before kneeling down to meet her eye-to-eye. Struggling to find a good question to ask, Kathryne gazed at the mage girl gently for a few seconds. "Can you tell me how things have been here?" she asked.

"It's been really dull since Miss Kathryne left…" answered the mage girl with a wide grin on her face. "But you're here to stay now, right? You're going to teach us again, right?"

Kathryne closed her eyes. The mage girl's words seemed to indicate that she was a teacher from the academy. Unfortunately, her mind refused to give her a clear image to confirm this so she decided that she really needed to speak with the headmaster.

"Miss Kathryne?" asked the mage girl once more. "You look pale… Are you feeling alright?"

Surely enough, Kathryne felt a little dizzy. Whether or not her dizziness was caused by the strain of recalling her memories or the fact that she was soaking wet from running around in the rain, she felt the need to lie down. The mage girl, seeing Kathryne grasp her forehead weakly, quickly pulled up a chair from beside a nearby bookshelf and offered Kathryne to sit on it. She sat down before smiling gratefully at the girl who, to her surprise, was looking at her with a disappointed look on her face. The mage girl shook her head and said, "You've been running around in the rain, haven't you, Miss Kathryne? You always told us not to run around in the rain!" The mage girl then turned her back on Kathryne before approaching the crumpled cloak on the floor and picking it up. "I'll be right back Miss Kathryne!" said the girl before running off with the wet cloak.

Kathryne, alone once more, took the moment to just gaze around the room. Right at the entrance of the academy is a workshop for the creation of potions and other things. It was placed near the entrance so that students running around getting ingredients can immediately get to work on mixing potions after returning to the academy. Kathryne then noticed a scroll hidden between two books in the bookshelf behind her. She carefully extricated it from the shelf before opening to read it. She smirked upon noticing that the writing was completely illegible, except perhaps what looks like a "The" at the beginning. The scroll was completely covered in black ink. Knowing that the scroll was an improperly disposed school paper, Kathryne rolled up the scroll and placed it on the table next to her. She will dispose of the scroll later when she gets the chance.

Kathryne then turned her gaze towards a hissing noise coming from the other end of the table, where many test tubes and other glass equipment were scattered about. Kathryne had not seen it for quite a while so, unable to contain her curiosity, she stood up and approached it.

One of the bottles had a green liquid in it, and appeared to be the source of the hissing noise. A burner was lit underneath it. Someone must have forgotten to turn it off. Kathryne sighed before carefully removing the bottle with a pair of tongs and extinguishing the burner.

Despite the poor examples of the usage of academic materials that she found, Kathryne found herself smiling. When she came to the academy about a week ago, she immediately headed to the small library the academy had as soon as she had completed her assignment to become a mage. She did not actually take the time to look around and completely appreciate everything around her, back then. She realized that, despite the fact that her memories of her parents were unpleasant ones, they reminded her of what she loved to do. Nodding to herself, she quickly approached the bookshelf once more and started searching across the spines of each book. A familiar title caught her eye so she quickly took the book and sat back down. She gazed down on the title written in gold letters: "Magic: A History." Its title may seem to be discouraging to most students, but it seemed to arouse Kathryne's interest. Forgetting her headache for a moment, she opened the book and began reading through it.

* * *

After almost half an hour, the two young mages returned, the boy carrying a folded dry towel and the girl carrying a cup of tea. They both stopped short when they found Kathryne busily poring over her book, and it took them a few minutes to gain the courage to interrupt her.

The mage girl approached Kathryne first. She lowered the cup she was carrying onto the table next to Kathryne before turning to face her and asking, "Um, Miss Kathryne?" When Kathryne did not respond, the mage girl cleared her throat loudly. Kathryne started, nearly dropping her book. She blinked wearily before asking, "Oh, hello again. When did you get back?"

The girl smiled at her cheerfully before gesturing towards the cup on the table. Kathryne smiled back in thanks before grabbing the cup and taking a sip from it. The boy, his face still red and keeping his head down, offered the towel he was carrying to Kathryne. Kathryne smiled before taking the towel and wrapping it around her.

"I'm really sorry I took so long!" exclaimed the mage girl, suddenly looking apologetic. "When some other students saw me carrying the cloak, they thought I was collecting dirty laundry!"

The boy nodded and added, "I'm sorry too, ma'am! I-It actually took me a while to find towels because…"

"Because you didn't know where they were, did you?" interrupted the mage girl in a mildly scathing voice. The two exchanged angry glares before Kathryne said, "Stop it you two. I really appreciate what you're doing for me, so please don't fight."

As she was speaking, a door opened loudly from somewhere outside the room. As the three of them turned towards the source of the noise, they saw white smoke billowing from the far end of the room. A man's figure, coughing and obscured by the smoke, emerged from the end of the room. He stumbled clumsily towards the center of the room and tumbled as his leg got caught on a stack of books. Kathryne stood up quickly to help but the mages with her reached the man first.

"Oh dear, I can't believe I made a mistake with that…" moaned the man as the two students pulled him up by his arms. "What will my colleagues say when they hear about this? I'm supposed to be the headmaster after all…"

"Headmaster?"

The man blinked as he heard a familiar voice call out to him. His gaze swept across the room before stopping at where Kathryne was standing. His eyes widened for a moment as he took in her person. He then broke out into a laugh before asking in a hearty voice, "So, you finally saw fit to come back, Kathryne?"

"Headmaster, it's good to see you," greeted Kathryne with a smile. The headmaster was a middle-aged man, soon entering his senior years. His eyes, however, still had the glint of fire that was found mostly in adventurous young men. He dusted himself off before approaching Kathryne.

"Well I'll be," said the headmaster as he reached Kathryne. "Either I'm getting more senile as I grow older, or you really look like you're getting younger!"

"Er… Um?"

The headmaster turned to the two mages behind him and exclaimed, "Alright you two! As a reward for helping me out there, I'll extend the deadline of the paper that was due four hours ago!" The girl squealed delightedly in response, but the boy moaned disappointedly.

"I thought that it was already cancelled!" he exclaimed. The headmaster shook his head at him and said, "Now, now. You've been missing out on a lot of work already! You barely even spend time out in the field! Now off with you two, I need to speak with Miss Keyron over here." The girl nodded before waving her hand cheerfully at Kathryne and running off. The boy held back for a moment to look at Kathryne once more. However, when Kathryne met his gaze, he looked away quickly and followed his companion.

"Heh, that boy used to work so hard when you were still teaching here, you know," commented the headmaster with a smirk as soon as the two students were out of earshot. "A real shame…"

"Um, I used to teach here, didn't I?" asked Kathryne. The headmaster blinked at her before replying. "Yes, of course you were! You can't have forgotten just because a couple of months had passed since I heard from you…"

"Uh… Actually…" Kathryne took the time to recollect her thoughts. The headache that she was ignoring was making itself apparent once more, so she sat down wearily. The headmaster looked at her concernedly and asked, "Is there anything wrong? It looks like you've got a cold…"

"I-I'll be fine…" replied Kathryne in a weary voice. Despite what she said however, her eyesight started to become blurry. Before she knew it, she had collapsed on the floor. Her vision faded to black as the worried shouts of the headmaster reverberated across her mind.

* * *

When Kathryne woke up, she found herself on a white bed. An uncomfortable weight on her stomach woke her up. After the feeling had returned to her arms, she found that she was still clutching the book she read earlier. She removed the sheets and sat up. Upon looking around, she recognized the room to be the infirmary inside the academy. A screen for privacy was at her left. "I must've fallen asleep…" she said to herself. A brief glance to her right made her start. A sleeping Eremes was seated right next to her, propped up by the arms of his chair. Seeing his face comforted her, so she reached out to grasp his hand. Before she could do so however, several voices from outside caused her to pull back her hand.

"What do you think?" asked the voice that Kathryne recognized to be the headmaster's. "It's really strange isn't it?"

"Oh, have you forgotten what the sage headmaster told you?" asked another voice, this time female. Though Kathryne did not recognize this voice, she deduced that it belonged to the nurse.

"Well he didn't mention her becoming younger!"

Kathryne started. _By her, did they mean me?_ she thought._ And becoming younger? What are they talking about?_

"Well… we've seen stranger things, haven't we?" asked the nurse.

"Yes, but still… Strange is strange." The headmaster paused for a moment. "Knowing her, she's probably awake right now and listening to every word in our conversation."

The door opened and Kathryne started as the headmaster pulled back the screen next to her bed. "See? I told you," said the headmaster smugly towards the nurse. The nurse grunted noncommittally before leaving and closing the door behind her.

"Well then, it looks like you're feeling better," said the headmaster as he pulled up a stool and sat down next to Kathryne's bed. "I have a lot to ask, but judging by the look on your face, so do you."

Kathryne nodded and smiled. Somehow, the headmaster's behaviour did not surprise her. "…I have a suggestion," she began, gaining a random thought. "How about we exchange questions? I ask a question and you answer. Then you ask a question and I answer." Kathryne actually felt that her suggestion was a little silly. She was not even sure if she had any answers to give. At least, not as many answers as she had questions. The headmaster laughed before saying, "Alright, you might not remember but you've done this before. Okay, ask your question now."

"Right, you mentioned something a while ago about the sage headmaster…?"

"Him? The headmaster of the Sage Academy in Juno? Well you see, he told me that a 'Kathryne Keyron' went to see him several months ago. Obviously, he was referring to you." The headmaster nodded before continuing, "You just went to see him about a job, and then you disappeared… along with your friends."

"Wait, what job…?"

"No, it's my turn to ask a question," interrupted the headmaster with a serious expression. Kathryne gulped as she nodded. The headmaster then glanced at Eremes and asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"W-What?" Kathryne blushed furiously. "N-No! No…"

"Oh really?" asked the headmaster with an irritating smirk on his face. "Alright, your turn."

It took Kathryne a while to calm down. She breathed deeply and asked, "So about this job?…"

"The job? Well you see, recently, the sages have discovered the secret of Juno. …You do remember where Juno is, right?"

"Yes, the floating city at the Schwartzwald Republic."

"Well, glad to hear that you remember that at least." The headmaster nodded once more before continuing. "Hm, do you really not remember anything?" Kathryne shook her head. The headmaster nodded before continuing. "The sages discovered that Juno was held aloft by the Heart of Ymir, an artifact of the gods." He glanced meaningfully at Kathryne. Kathryne nodded, affirming that she knows about the Heart. "Right, I'm glad to hear you remember that. They discovered that it is hidden somewhere beneath Juno. Now here is where you come in. The sages were supposed to undertake the search by themselves, but somehow information was leaked to a third party. This third party is a very powerful company. This company had power and influence so the sages could not simply refuse its participation. You, along with your friends, were assigned to take it upon yourselves to undertake the search."

Kathryne was listening intently. Though she was fascinated by what the headmaster was telling her, she was also annoyed at the fact that the headmaster was purposefully withholding information, probably just to prolong their little game. She did not really know why she suggested this sort of conversation, but she was starting to regret it. She sighed before gesturing towards the headmaster, signifying that she was ready for his question.

"So why do you not seem to remember being a teacher here?" asked the headmaster, gazing intently at Kathryne. Kathryne shook her head and answered, "I don't know why myself. I know that a large part of my memory's missing..." She thought for a moment before continuing. "I did remember an important part… And that part led me back here to find more answers."

"And answers I will give, as long as I believe I am able to provide them," answered the headmaster with a smile. "Alright, your turn."

Kathryne nodded. "You mentioned about me being younger…?"

"Ah, that. Actually, I already noticed the last time you came back here." The headmaster nodded yet again before continuing. "A shame you didn't stay long. I didn't get a chance to speak with you. Anyway, you look the same as you first became a mage… over four years ago."

"Four years?" The question that was milling about in her head was finally answered. She sat up, intending to pay even closer attention.

"Yes, four years. After a few months of becoming a mage, you managed to become a wizard. You returned here to teach… and that you did for two years."

"So… I really did become a teacher here."

"Indeed."

"So, what happened after two years?"

"Uh-uh, my turn remember?"

"Oh… right."

The headmaster glanced at Eremes once more before asking, "So… Have the two of you kissed yet?"

"W-What?" Kathryne blushed once more. She glared furiously at the headmaster, who held up both hands and said, "Alright I'm joking, I'm joking. Now my real question is: how much of your past do you remember?"

Kathryne calmed down and thought deeply. How far did she remember?

"Actually, I remember bits and pieces only…" answered Kathryne with a sigh. "I remember meeting my friends in Prontera… my parents from Al de Baran and the circumstances on why I became a mage… The rest is a blur."

"I see… So nothing from Juno?"

"No… nothing from Juno." Kathryne glanced at Eremes. _Is this the same with you, Eremes?_ she thought to herself. _You want to go to Juno to find answers, right?_ Her train of thought was interrupted when the headmaster started talking once more.

"I suggest that you return to Juno."

"…That was my plan anyway," replied Kathryne. She glanced at Eremes before adding, "He… He's the one who helped me remember, you know."

The headmaster raised an eyebrow. "Did he now? If he isn't your boyfriend, then who is he to you?" Kathryne blushed once more. However, the headmaster did not press her for an answer. He merely stood up and said, "Well actually, there's no need for you to answer that."

Kathryne gave him a look that the headmaster interpreted as a silent 'why'? The headmaster waved her off and said, "There's no need for you to tell me. I already know, and you'll remember soon enough."

Kathryne did not understand what he meant, but was glad of being able to avoid the question. She glanced at Eremes once more before asking, "Why are you so confident that I'll find answers in Juno? I'm going there merely on an assumption."

"My dear, everything happens for a reason." The headmaster stretched for a bit before sitting back down. "Many have forgotten, many don't even believe, but I do, and as I recall, so did you. The legend of heroic rebirth… perhaps is more than just a legend."

"I… I don't understand."

"Rest assured, everything will reveal itself in time," said the headmaster with a quick nod. "Now, you were asking about what happened two years since you started teaching here, right?" Kathryne nodded.

"You wanted to help the academy financially… and I repeatedly told you that we were already well off enough… but you insisted. A recruiter came and offered you a high-paying job at the Schwartzwald Republic." The headmaster looked at Kathryne meaningfully before continuing. "Now, that was the intention that you presented to me. But every time you found time to return here to the academy, you spun tales about you and your friends' exploits in the north." The headmaster thought for a moment before continuing. "I recall that you loved reading tales about adventurers and such." Kathryne clutched her book tightly as the headmaster said that. "So I believe that your true reason for leaving was to have adventures of your own."

"That… sounds a bit selfish of me," said Kathryne guiltily as the revelation fitted well with her memories. The headmaster shook his head and said, "No there is nothing wrong with that. After all, that was your dream when you were still a mage, and I'd be damned if I held you back."

"But, still, you found yourself teaching here for two years. You had found a talent you didn't think you had back then. You had the talent of sharing what you know with others, to teach well and to raise up young ones to reach their own dreams as well." The headmaster gazed at Kathryne proudly. "Every mage who has ever graduated from here since you started to teach here have you to thank."

"The call to teach always brought you back here to Geffen, my dear. So there is no need for you to become guilty. You were able to fulfil your own dream and help others fulfill theirs. Now isn't that a wonderful way to live your life?"

Kathryne smiled. The way the headmaster described her could not help but caused her to feel proud of herself. Remembering one more detail, she asked, "I almost forgot. What was the name of the company that hired me?"

The headmaster furrowed his eyebrows as he answered, "I was referring to the Rekenber Corporation. The Rekenber Corporation is a company whose influence is widespread at the Republic. It used to be based somewhere here down south, but soon moved to a recently completed city called Lighthalzen."

"Lighthalzen?"

"I think you and your friends took part in preparing the foundations of the city," added the headmaster. "And in expanding the corporation's sphere of influence…" Kathryne noted the strange tone of his voice and asked, "You don't sound too fond of the corporation."

"Eh, it's a long story," said the headmaster with a dismissive tone. "I'll tell you about it some other time." Kathryne was disappointed, but the firm look on the headmaster's face told her not to press the matter.

"Well I still find it strange. You remember about Juno and the Heart, but not about anything else…" said the headmaster as he scratched his chin thoughtfully. Kathryne embarrassedly replied, "W-Well, I was studying a lot during the time I was staying here… And I was mostly studying on geographical tomes and such…"

"Hah, well that's our Kathryne!" exclaimed the headmaster with a laugh, alleviating the tense atmosphere brought about by their previous exchange. "Well, I think your questions are answered for now, am I right? No? Well come back as soon as you finished your business in Juno." Kathryne nodded and made to get off her bed. She and the headmaster both stood up at the same time. The headmaster gazed at the space right above Kathryne's head before saying, "Eh, strange is strange. I still seriously can't get over how young you are right now."

Kathryne shrugged and answered, "I can't really relate to that."

The headmaster chuckled before gesturing towards Eremes. "I suppose it's time to wake him up?"

Kathryne nodded before approaching Eremes and tugging at his arm. Eremes slowly straightened up and blinked wearily. Kathryne said to him softly, "Wake up sleepy-head. It's time to go."

All of a sudden, the headmaster gently pushed Kathryne aside and grabbed both arms of the chair Eremes was sitting on. Eremes started, becoming wide awake as the headmaster glared at him with a serious, almost murderous, expression.

"So you've come my daughter's hand?" asked the headmaster in a deep angry voice. Eremes's jaw dropped at the question. "You must first prove yourself worthy! You must head to Glast Heim and bring back the crotch-guard of a Raydric!"

Kathryne, who was dumbstruck at the headmaster's sudden outburst, regained her senses and smacked the headmaster at the back of the head. The headmaster pulled back quickly and clutched the back of his head before asking, "Hey, what was that for? I was only helping you wake up your boyfriend." Kathryne, her face red with embarrassment, pushed the headmaster away before grabbing Eremes by the hand and dragging him out of the room. Eremes barely managed to grab his hat as he was dragged unceremoniously from his seat.

Back at the hallway leading towards the entrance of the academy, Kathryne, awkwardly swinging her arms, walked quickly in front of Eremes. Eremes, still a bit dazed from what happened back at the infirmary, was still looking over his shoulder. He turned towards Kathryne and asked, "Um, so what happened back there?"

"Nothing!" answered Kathryne, refusing to look at Eremes. "Listen, we're going to Juno now! Let's get back to Payon so we can get ready!"

"Yeah, about that…" Eremes still had not confirmed about whether Kathryne's condition was the same as his. "I wanted to talk to you about that. You see…"

Eremes was interrupted as two young mages, the ones from earlier, ran past him and grabbed Kathryne by her arms. Kathryne, surprised by the sudden intrusion, forgot her embarrassment. Before Eremes could react, the two mages quickly pulled Kathryne away, leaving Eremes dumbfounded and rooted to the spot. The other three had already disappeared by the time Eremes regained his senses. He shook his head vigorously before running towards where the other three had disappeared.

Eremes's pursuit led him towards the entrance of the academy, and as soon as he stepped out, he found Kathryne surrounded by several younger mages. Eremes stopped when one of the female mages cried, "Miss Kathryne, if I knew you'd be back today, I would've prepared some cake!"

Another cried out, "Ma'am, I finished the paper that you gave me a year ago! …Do I still pass?"

Yet another cried, "Miss Kathryne, please marry me!"

Kathryne glanced at Eremes from amidst the noisy crowd, and gave him an apologetic look. She shouted to him, "I need to spend some time with my students, can you go on ahead of me?"

"Your students?" asked Eremes, looking confused. "But I still need to ask…" He was interrupted as someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Eremes whirled around to face the intruder, and saw that it was the headmaster. The headmaster smiled at him and said, "Now, now. You had Kathryne all to yourself for quite a while now. Let the children enjoy the return of their long-lost teacher for a while."

"Teacher?" asked Eremes, looking even more confused. However, he seemed to get the idea when he glanced once more at the crowd behind him. Kathryne seemed to be enjoying herself immensely as the children around her showered her with affection. Deciding to just let her have her moment, Eremes faced the headmaster once more and said, "Yeah, I guess…"

"Great!" exclaimed the headmaster as he clasped his hands together. He produced something from within his robes, grabbed Eremes's wrist and placed what he had produced onto his palm. Before removing his hand, the headmaster said, "Then I'll let Kathryne know that you've gone ahead of her."

"Wait, I'm just going to wait around here… Hey wait!"

As soon as the headmaster removed his hand and as soon as Eremes got a look on what the headmaster had given him, he realized that it was a rainbow-colored insect wing. Judging from the colorful powder that the wing was emitting, Eremes realized too late that it was a butterfly wing and that its enchantment was already activated. Eremes's last words were lost to the wind as his person was engulfed by the colorful powder and whisked away into the breeze.

* * *

Back at Payon, dusk was starting to fall. The grassy paths were wet from the rain, as were the bamboo trees and wooden houses. Margaretha was quietly leaning against the doorway of the entrance of the inn that they were staying at. She stood up straight when a figure approached the inn from a distance. As the figure neared the inn, the last rays of sunlight shone through his face, revealing him to be Eremes. Margaretha quickly ran up to him and, grabbed his arm. Eremes looked at her gently through tired eyes as he let Margaretha cling to him. After a few seconds, he pulled away and said, "It's good to see you again, Margaretha."

"I've missed you," replied Margaretha with a gentle smile. "But, where's Kathryne?"

"Back at Geffen, still hanging around with her students."

"Students?"

"…Just ask her yourself, I'm not really sure myself." Eremes yawned as he strode past Margaretha towards the inn. "I'm going to turn in early. Good night." Margaretha, though a bit confused by Eremes's answer, smiled at him and walked with him up to the entrance of the inn. Before Eremes climbed up the stairs to the bedrooms, he glanced back at Margaretha, who had remained at the doorway, and said, "Oh, please remind me to set my return-point here tomorrow morning. I don't want to have to run a marathon to get back here…" He shook his head to himself before proceeding up the steps. Margaretha, confused once more by Eremes's statement, merely smiled back in reply. After Eremes had disappeared to the second floor, Margaretha leaned against the doorway of the inn's entrance once more.

Late into the evening, Margaretha opted to just sit on the chair at the drawing room since the evening breeze was made colder by the humid atmosphere. Margaretha patiently waited, and after a while, Kathryne entered the inn. Seeing Margaretha, she approached the chair opposite hers and sat down. This time, Kathryne was wearing a nice, fur-lined coat. When Margaretha's gaze rested too long on her coat, Kathryne embarrassedly asked, "Is it too much? My students insisted."

_Students?_ Margaretha decided to ask about that later. She breathed deeply before saying, "We need to talk, Kathryne."

"Why?" asked Kathryne. Margaretha's serious expression however, stopped her from pressing the question.

"Let's talk upstairs. Cecil's asleep, so we should have some privacy."


	21. Chapter 21 Revelation

Margaretha closed her eyes as she arrived in her room. A glance to her left revealed that Cecil was indeed asleep facing the wall. She approached the small table next to the window and sat on the wooden stool next to it. After a few second, Kathryne walked in, closing the door that Margaretha left open. Based on her expression, she seemed to have an idea what was going on.

"Hey, I think I know what this is about," said Kathryne as she approached Margaretha. She clutched her fur-line cloak more tightly around her as an evening breeze blew in the window, causing her hair to flutter. "This is about me heading to Al de Baran with Eremes, isn't it?"

"He mentioned that he came back from Geffen," answered Margaretha. Her expression was barely readable in the dim room, as the moonlight shining through the window failed to show her face.

"Oh, well we went to Geffen to see the headmaster!" said Kathryne, her throat dry. She felt nervous, even though she was not lying. Well, not yet. She was not even sure if she needed to.

"Headmaster?"

"The mage headmaster. I was supposed to meet him when I became a mage, but I forgot. He helped me… remember a few things."

"But what about the letter?"

"The letter?"

Kathryne had nearly forgotten about the letter she got from her parents. She glanced around at her feet and saw that the letter had fallen on the ground next to the door. She picked it up and noticed that Margaretha had fixed her gaze on it. "I didn't know you left it here…" said Margaretha.

"Yeah… I forgot to bring it."

"So what happened at Al de Baran?"

Kathryne looked down at her feet. She wondered if she should tell Margaretha about what she told Eremes. About her parents. Being the daughter of a noble family. Running away from home. Gathering her thoughts, took more than a few minutes so Kathryne was startled when Margaretha got up and approached her. She looked up to see Margaretha's face.

"Let me guess, you aren't going to tell me?" asked Margaretha. Kathryne was worried about what Margaretha would say, but she noticed, even in the dimness of the room, Margaretha's expression was that of understanding. Kathryne silently cursed herself for thinking twice about telling Margaretha. She was her friend, and there was no reason not to tell her.

"I'm sorry, I will… Let's sit for a bit shall we?"

* * *

Eremes was amused upon seeing Howard asleep on the floor as he entered his room. Seyren was next to the window, using the light of the moon to help him read the book he borrowed from Kathryne. He looked up from his book and nodded at Eremes.

"Welcome back. Howard did some heavy work so he went to sleep immediately after dinner," said Seyren. "So where did you go anyway? You were gone the whole day."

"I went with Kathryne to Al de Baran," answered Eremes. "It looked like she needed someone to go with her."

"Yes, Margaretha told us that Kathryne went to Al de Baran. I didn't know you went with her. You could've told us. We could've all gone with her."

"I don't think she would've let you," said Eremes. "I could barely convince her to let me come with her."

"Well, what did you guys do there?"

"Kathryne… I think Kathryne should be the one to tell you." Eremes yawned and added, "I'm tired, ran a long way to get back here. I'll see you in the morning." He carefully stepped over Howard's body and approached his bed. Before he sat down however, Seyren said something to him.

"You know, Margaretha was really worried about you two. Especially you."

Eremes smiled. "Remind me to thank her in the morning," he said as he pulled his blanket over his head.

* * *

"And then we decided to go to Geffen to see the headmaster," finished Kathryne. She had just recounted everything that happened in Al de Baran to Margaretha. They were both seated facing each other on Kathryne's bed.

"So you saw your parents?" asked Margaretha, looking astonished. She had listened to Kathryne's story without interrupting her. But Kathryne knew that on certain points of her story, Margaretha looked like she wanted to ask something. She was glad that Margaretha was a good listener.

"Yes, and I'm definitely a Weinder. I wasn't too sure about it before, but now I'm sure."

"And your memories…?"

"Based on what the headmaster told me, I taught at the Geffen Academy for 2 years." She smiled and added, "As a wizard."

"A wizard?" asked Margaretha. "But how is that…?"

"Yes I know it's strange but, my students knew me as a wizard. And I was apparently older back then… if the headmaster is telling the truth. And I believe he is not the type of person who would lie about that." She thought for a moment and added, "He also mentioned that I once worked for the Rekenber Corporation, to help finance the academy."

"Rekenber… somehow that sounds strangely familiar," said Margaretha. Kathryne looked surprised. She asked, "Have you heard about that Corporation before, Margaretha?"

"I have."

Kathryne and Margaretha both nearly jumped from surprised. Cecil turned to face them from her bed next to the wall. She sat up and said, "Sorry Kathryne, I heard your whole story…"

"It's not a problem, I was planning to tell everyone tomorrow," said Kathryne with a smile. "But you said you heard about Rekenber?"

Cecil nodded. "Kathryne, did the headmaster mention that you had friend with you when you worked at Rekenber?"

Kathryne's eyes grew wide. "Yes the headmaster did mention that!" She silently cursed herself for failing to ask about them. "But what does that…?"

"It has to do with everything." Cecil's expression was serious. "You know the village elder? He's my father. Adoptive father at least." Margaretha gasped but did not say anything. "He told me that four years ago, I went to work for the Rekenber Corporation. I was sending him letters every couple of weeks. A few months ago, he told me that I stopped sending him letters. Does anyone here have any memories beyond a few months ago?"

"That's a bit vague," said Kathryne. "But I honestly, I don't recall anything a few months before. I do recall memories of my parents and teaching at the academy… But not much comes from very recent memory."

"Alright, get this," Cecil clasped her hands together as she spoke. "The elder mentioned that I was working at Rekenber with 5 other friends. Namely: a knight, wizard, assassin, priestess, blacksmith and," she placed her hand on her chest, "A huntress." Cecil slowly turned her gaze twice between Margaretha and Kathryne. "Do you understand where I'm getting at?"

Kathryne folded her arms and said, "Are you implying that we are in fact those 6 adventurers?"

Cecil nodded and said, "It fits doesn't it? For whatever reason, a few months ago we went to Juno on a job for Rekenber Corp, and for some reason we disappeared until now. Upon coming back here, the elder and his assistant noted that I looked younger."

Kathryne was startled by this revelation. "The headmaster also said I looked younger!" They both turned to Margaretha. She was startled by the sudden gaze of the other two but looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "As a matter of fact, I think the head priest back at the Sanctuary said I looked like someone he knew. I dismissed it as him mistaking me for someone else." She became surprised as the other two's expressions became disappointed.

"Can you believe this girl Kathryne?" asked Cecil. "Well I guess you were the calm sort, except towards Eremes." Both Kathryne and Margaretha became uncomfortable at the mention of Eremes's name, but Cecil did not notice and continued speaking. "Don't you have any memory problems Margaretha?"

"Well… Probably not as bad as you two… But I think…" Margaretha closed her eyes to try and recollect her memories. What did she tell Eremes before? She remembered a white light. She tried thinking harder and soon she saw the inside of the sanctuary, with its polished white stone floor and walls, stained glass windows and many pews. She saw the face of the head priest looking down on her with an affectionate smile. She could not help but smile herself at the memory. The head priest turned away from her to address to someone else… a woman. A nun. As he moved away, the light from the window shone fully upon Margaretha's face, forcing her to close her eyes.

"…I think I remember now," said Margaretha finally. The other two's faces were rapt with attention. "I think that I once lived at the Prontera Sanctuary, and that the head priest once watched over me. I don't exactly remember any details, but I think I'll go back there some time to talk with him."

"I think that's a great idea," said Kathryne with a nod. "So does this confirm your suspicions, Cecil?"

"I'm quite positive," answered Cecil. "I think at least four of us have large chunks of our memories missing."

"Four?" asked Kathryne and Margaretha in unison. Cecil nodded. "Yes, four. Howard and I knew each other for years, according to my father. And I do remember hanging out with him. …What are you two looking at?" Margaretha and Kathryne's face were mischievous. "Cut it out you two!" exclaimed Kathryne. "It isn't what you think it is!"

"Oh really?" asked Margaretha and Kathryne in unison. Cecil sighed and answered, "Yes, really, but back to the matter at hand."

"So four of us have part of our memories missing," repeated Kathryne.

"And if my hunch is right, Eremes is probably having the same problem. He probably just doesn't wanna share it with us," said Cecil, looking thoughtful. Kathryne shifted uncomfortably once more. Margaretha looked away for a moment. "And that's probably why he wants to go to Juno."

"Juno?"

"Yes, our answers lie in Juno!" exclaimed Cecil, clasping her hands once more. "Our last job was at Juno. That's where we apparently disappeared for a couple of months!"

"Juno, huh… Well, why not?" said Margaretha. "But like Seyren said, we don't have enough money to get there. We'll have to do another job along the way."

All three of them were silent for a few seconds before exclaiming in unison, "Seyren!"

"We haven't spoken with him yet!" exclaimed Cecil. "Me and Howard were supposed to go and talk with Eremes this morning, but Margaretha got him first." Cecil finally noticed that Kathryne and Margaretha both looked uncomfortable upon mentioning Eremes. "Are you two alright…? You look as though you have a…"

"W-Well, anyway, first thing we should do this morning is talk with Seyren," interrupted Kathryne. Cecil looked dumbfounded. "And it's getting late, so we should probably go to sleep."

Margaretha nodded. Cecil looked like she wanted to say something but Margaretha interrupted, saying, "I know Cecil, we're all excited about this but, we should get some rest. Seyren probably has a difficult job for us tomorrow and we should get ready." Cecil pouted but nodded. Margaretha got up from Kathryne's bed and headed to the other side of the room towards hers. Cecil turned her back to them once more and lay down, saying, "Just think about it for a while, make sure that we've hit the mark; that my suspicions aren't wrong." Kathryne nodded, but realizing Cecil's back was turned, simply said, "Of course."

As Kathryne laid her head on her pillow, she realized that she was not tired at all. It had been a very long day: seeing her parents, going to the Academy, finding out she was a teacher, and now the possibility that the six of them had known each other for much longer than they think. It seemed impossible, but at the same time most probable. She turned to face Margaretha. Margaretha's back was to her as well. Kathryne thought that maybe Margaretha was taking the time to think about this as well, but then realized that perhaps there was something else that Margaretha wanted to talk about, if not for Cecil's interruption. Knowing full well what it was, she pushed it to the back of her mind. She knew that one day, she had a lot of explaining to do to Margaretha, but for now, she just wanted to think about what Cecil had told them. Finally becoming tired, she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.

* * *

It was morning in Payon, and the boys' room was unusually quiet. There was a knock on the door and Margaretha's head poked in, looking around. Howard had apparently picked himself up last night, and was sleeping on his bead, legs and arms sprawled out. Eremes's bed was a large lump of blanket. Margaretha was glad that Eremes did not run off again. When she turned to check Seyren's bed however, she only saw a note. She carefully opened the door, as to not wake up the two boys, and slowly walked over to Seyren's bed to pick up the note. The note read:

_Today's job details are on the table. I've gone out to do my part. See you guys at around noon._

_-Seyren_


	22. Chapter 22 A Knight Then and Again

Seyren was quietly seated next to the fruit bar at the center of Izlude. He was absentmindedly playing with the hilt of his sword with one hand, and holding up a book with the other. On the table he was leaning against was a half-empty glass of grape juice. Every now and then he would look away from his book to glance at the crowd walking around him. He appeared to be waiting for something, or someone.

A muffled shout from the crowd drew Seyren's attention. He looked up from his book and looked around for the source of the shout. An elderly-looking knight was approaching him from the crowd. The knight had a smile on his face.

"It is good to see you again, Seyren."

"Master Reuben." Seyren put his book down, stood up and bowed.

"At ease Seyren. You are not a knight quite yet." The knight pulled up another chair from a nearby table and sat down next to the one Seyren was leaning on. Seyren sat down as well.

"Sir, may I ask, why did you call me here to Izlude?" asked Seyren. The knight did not answer, but merely looked at Seyren with a quiet expression. After a while, the knight finally said, "Seeing you dressed like that reminds me of when I started training you all those years ago."

"Ah." Seyren smiled. It has been a very long time since he spoke with his old master. Sir Reuben was the one who taught Seyren all he knew about knighthood. He closed his eyes as he remembered the first day he started training.

* * *

In the northern forests of Prontera, Seyren was quietly practicing with his sword. He remembered the grip of the hilt of his first sword, how it left an indent of its engraving in his palm, how it would roughly twist his skin as he swung his sword. He brandished the sword in front of him, and lifted the flat of the blade next to his face. He remembered the dim reflection of his face on the blade on his sword, how it glinted in the afternoon sun. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he continued his training. Swing your sword in front of you 10 times. Remember the master's words.

"Your arms will hurt at first. You must learn to ignore it. Your muscles will eventually get used to the swing."

Seyren swung another 10 times. His arms had already started hurting. He thought that it looked easy. The other swordsmen made it look easy. Maybe it would not be so tiring if he was actually hitting something.

"It will not be too long before I take you with me to hunt. For now you must simply swing your sword."

Or was that what the master said? Seyren could not clearly remember. Gripping the hilt made his hands numb. Swinging his sword made his arms number. Did the master say something more profound about the swinging? Seyren felt more tired as he kept thinking.

"Think of the sword as an extension of your arm."

Or was it "Keep swinging"? That is all he ever did back then. Swing a sword for hours. Did he complain? Maybe. Probably. But he kept at it, because what else can he do? Sneak out and hunt alone? Maybe. Seyren could not remember if he did that once. Maybe he did. A lot of trainees did. But he was not like a lot of trainees.

"Keep swinging."

Now that sounded better in his head. Two words. Two simple words. Using the master's voice. Seyren stopped thinking. Only the swing mattered.

"Seyren!"

Only the swing mattered.

"Seyren!"

* * *

Seyren was startled by the shout. It was his master's voice. He opened his eyes and found Master Reuben looking at him with worried eyes. "I lost you there for a moment," said Master Reuben. "Dozing off is unbecoming of you."

"I wasn't falling asleep master," said Seyren quietly. He gripped the hilt of his sword. "But it did feel like I was dreaming."

"Well you have been through a lot. How long has it been since we met again in Prontera? A week?"

"A week and three days," answered Seyren. "I still find it hard to believe though."

"Yet in your disbelief, you still came to see me." The old knight smiled once more. Seyren noted how much younger his master looked when he smiled. "Well Seyren, I know you are the dutiful sort and would probably rather discuss business, but I ask you to humor an old man, and tell me how it has been this past week."

"This past week? Well, my friends had undergone their own trials and became their respective classes. And we did a job at Payon. My friends are probably still there, waiting for me to return." Master Reuben failed to hide his disappointment at the very brief summary. "Sorry, but that is the simplest way of putting it, on how this week had been for me," apologized Seyren.

"Well, can you remember anything before that?"

"I already told you before master, I cannot remember anything before that."

"You don't sound troubled."

"I am troubled," said Seyren with a sigh. "But right now, I am glad that my friends are alright, that we can still be together despite the circumstances."

"And will you not pursue answers?"

"I think part of the reason I'm here is to get answers." Seyren faced his old master eye to eye. "Tell me what I had forgotten. Please."

The old knight nodded. "Seyren Windsor, knight of the Sixteenth Order of the Prontera Knights. You were assigned a mission to investigate the activities of the Rekenber Corporation. By your request, we did not assign you a squad to work with, but you were free to select your own party."

"Sixteenth Order of Prontera Knights… that is something I had not heard in a very long time…" Seyren closed his eyes, but quickly reopened them, awaiting more of what his old master had to say.

"You did not report anything unusual during your duty at the Republic, except for the incident at the Lighthal Laboratory," continued Master Reuben. "You reported the deaths of six adventurers. Evidence showed that they were held there for quite some time. Subjected to inhumane experimentation."

"Ah… That is…" Seyren flashed back to a crimson hallway, him riding atop a Pecopeco, at the heels of his assassin friend. "That is something I wish I did not see."

"In our line of work, we need to deal with this sort of thing," said Master Reuben. "Before the knights can act however, an ambassador from the Republic representing the Rekenber Corporation told us not to interfere. Anything that happened at the Schwartzvald Republic was under their jurisdiction. Interference from the Knights might have caused a war." The old knight shook his head. "Preposterous. The Pronteran knights are always seen as a beacon of hope for the people."

"I do not disagree with you master with that fact," said Seyren. "But the Republic is a separate state from the Kingdom, and is not under our jurisdiction."

"Rekenber acts as though his Corporation is a sovereign state!" exclaimed the old knight despite himself. He noticed however, that his outburst attracted the attention of some of the crowd. He shouted, "Nothing to see here people, carry on." He then turned to Seyren and said in a quiet voice, "In my excitement to see my old pupil again, I had a lapse of judgement. Our sort of discussion should not be held here out in the open. Let us head to the Swordsman's Guild."

* * *

The old Guild building looked the same as ever to Seyren, but he smiled all the same at the familiar place. His master hurried him inside however, not giving him time to reminisce. As soon as he entered, he saw his master speaking with the guildmaster.

"Ah Seyren!" greeted the guildmaster. Seyren approached and shook hands with him. "It is good to see you again. I spoke with you last week, but I assumed you were only someone who looked like Seyren. Imagine my surprise when old Reuben here told me that you were in fact, Seyren himself. And not a day younger than four years ago! I guess he was responsible for passing you without having you undergo the trial!"

"It is good to see you again, sir," said Seyren with a bow. "I did not really imagine having to set foot in here since I became a knight years ago."

"Ah, but you are not actually the first knight to come back here as a swordsman!"

"Wait, I am not?" Seyren became very interested.

"A tale for another time old friend," interrupted Master Reuben. The guildmaster nodded, and motioned toward the room at the right. Seyren looked disappointed, but followed after his master after he beckoned at him.

This small room is a waiting room for aspiring swordsmen. Today it was empty however, except for two senior swordsmen that Seyren recognized. Both of them saluted at Master Reuben before leaving the room, only giving Seyren a curious glance.

"Now where was I? Ah yes." Master Reuben motioned towards a set of chairs in the middle of the room. They sat opposite each other before continuing their discussion.

"Rekenber had apparently pulled some strings at the Castle. I feel ashamed that there are some unseen forces working against us, but the King told me that there was not anyone he did not trust in his council…"

"Your prudence is as inspiring as ever, master. But I think you are digressing from the topic at hand," said Seyren, his expression blank. The old knight smiled at him and said, "You speak like a wise master, and I prattle on like a novice who does not know his place." He sighed deeply. "Sometimes I think I taught you too well."

"I studied under the best," said Seyren with a proud smile.

"Well, the personal protection of the King lies with the Crusaders, so my request for an investigating the council was turned down…"

"Master, we were talking about Rekenber."

"Ah yes, forgive me." The old knight regained his serious composure. "So Rekenber took care of the Lighthal Laboratory instead of the knights, and repossessed it, all to further his less than honourable aims."

"Master…"

"Yes yes… So after repossessing the laboratory, he proceeded to set down the foundations of building a new city." The old knight's expression became incredibly stern. Seyren suddenly felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. He had not felt this nervous in a very long time. His master's piercing gaze looked as though he was looking at Seyren's very sould.

"I am… aware that your team was responsible for setting down the foundations of that city, based on reports from my scouts," said the old knight, his voice sounding almost cold. "But I want to hear it from yourself."

"I… I'm afraid I don't understand what you are trying to say, Master," answered Seyren meekly.

Master Reuben sighed. "Seyren, in our line of work, we are often forced into situations where we have to make difficult decisions… But in all my years as a knight, I never carried out an order that involved harming innocents."

"What do you mean?!"

"Do you not know? The place where Lighthalzen was built was once a small village. There were many small villages surrounding that area. Of course, the city could not be completed with those in the way, so I assume that Rekenber assigned you a task, such a task, which would solve this problem."

"I—!"

Seyren was struck by a sudden headache. He clutched his head and tried to calm himself down. What was his master trying to imply? He held back his desire to scream as his headache grew worse. He shut his eyes closed and lowered his head as his voice screamed in silent agony inside his head. What was missing? What was it?

"Seyren!"

It was that voice again. The one that told him that swinging was all that mattered.

"Seyren!"

There were faces all around him. Faces full of fear.

"Seyren!"

What must he do? Thinking hurts.

"SEYREN!"

Thinking is too hard. All he needed to do was swing. Swing his sword at the faces.

"SEYREN!"

Seyren was wrenched back into reality by a shaking feeling. As his eyesight became focused, he saw the face of his master, filled with worry. His master's hands were on his shoulders. He must have been shaken awake. Seyren noticed that his sword was out. When did he pull it out? Then to his horror, he realized that he had struck out, and cut his master's arm badly.

"Are you alright, Seyren?" asked Master Reuben, his voice filled with genuine worry. "You suddenly pulled out your sword so I couldn't…"

"Master… I am so sorry." Seyren pulled himself away from his master and sheathed his sword. He fell back onto his chair, unable to stop his shuddering. His master sat back down on the opposite chair and surveyed the cut on his arm.

"Well, this is a nothing a priest cannot fix," said Master Reuben. Seyren did not respond, his mind still dwelling on what just happened. "Forgive me Seyren," said Master Reuben.

Seyren lifted his head and shouted, "Why are you apologizing?! I'm the one who cut your arm!"

"It… Is not like me to tell you things in a roundabout way," said the old knight. "I was always straight with you before. Perhaps in my old age, I have lapses of judgement much more often. And I thought that in my old age, I had the wisdom of an entire lifetime devoted to knighthood." Master Reuben lifted his head and said, "My scouts told me that a small group of adventurers drove out the local settlers and torched their villages."

"And… Did they say who they were...?"

"Were you wondering if I suspected you?" asked his old master, looking incredulous. Seyren was baffled at his master's expression. "Is that why you struck me? My boy, I know that the knight I trained myself would never do such a thing. But!" His expression became a little more serious once again. "Your team is the only team dispatched at the Republic. So, perhaps someone in your team…"

"My team? My friends?" Seyren stopped shuddering. "I don't think any of my friends are capable of such a thing. I would be the biggest idiot in the world to even suspect them."

"And a knight will stand by his friends no matter what," said the old knight with a sigh. "But my scouts did report that your team was responsible for laying down the foundations of the city. They infiltrated Rekenber Corporation main building itself and recovered that information from official documents."

Seyren had to ask despite himself. "Isn't espionage very unbecoming for members of the knighthood?" The old knight laughed, alarming Seyren. "I never said my scouts were members of the knighthood."

"Master… you scare me sometimes."

"I think you've told me that once or ten times before."

Seyren's gaze drifted over the wound he inflicted on his master. When Master Reuben noticed this, he waved the hand of his uninjured arm. "All is forgiven Seyren, but if you feel that that is not enough, then compensate for this, by doing the job that I am going to assign you."

Seyren sat up straight. He had nearly forgotten that he went to see his old master for a job!

"Your job is to head over to the Republic once more and discover what truly happened. But if my information is correct, then I think you need to keep a low profile. Accomplish this, and I will have an appropriate reward waiting for you when you return." Seyren nodded. "Now, I believe the first step is to head to Juno, for that is where you were headed on your last job under Rekenber."

"Juno?" repeated Seyren. His master nodded and asked, "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that a friend of mine has business in Juno as well," said Seyren. His master raised an eyebrow, causing Seyren to add, "It is nothing dubious I assure you. And it is certainly not something that will jeopardize my mission."

"Very well, I trust your word. Oh and Seyren, learn to keep that temper in check."

"…I apologize once more." Though in his mind, Seyren knew that it was not anger that caused him to strike out.

"Well enough of that. I will arrange for an airship ticket for you to get to Juno, as well as somewhere for you to stay there…"

"Oh can I have those for my friends as well? There are six of us in total."

"Six? Well, I guess… But if when you come back as a knight, I'll take it out of you paycheck." Seyren was about to say something but his master interrupted, saying, "I am only joking. I'll send you the tickets and other details in a few days. For now, I suggest you head back to Payon and check up on your friends."

Seyren nodded and got up. He bowed once more to his master before turning towards the door, but then the swordsman guildmaster entered, carrying a tray of cookies. "Sorry about this," he said. "But Tiffy wouldn't do it, and when I told her that it would be nicer if a woman did it, she threatened to cut off my… What happened to your arm?!"

"Ah this? I had a little accident with an apprentice's sword." The old knight's expression suddenly became curious. "Did you not hear anything? Weren't you right outside, by the guild desk?"

"Well I was… But an alchemist showed up and asked about all sort of things. We spoke outside."

"An alchemist? Well no matter. Seyren, are you in a hurry? If not, then why not join us for a bite?"

The guildmaster nodded and said, "Amie made these. She'll be happy to know that I gave them to you Seyren! Stay for a bit."

"Well, I guess I could," said Seyren with a smile. The tense atmosphere from a while ago was long gone, so he sat back down comfortably and grabbed a cookie. His master was already halfway through his third cookie when he suddenly asked a question.

"So how are things between you and the priestess?"

"Priestess? You mean Margaretha? She likes someone else," said Seyren with a shrug.


	23. Chapter 23 Conviction at the Lakeside

"Is there any particular reason why you chose to accompany me, master?" asked Seyren as he and Master Reuben made their way across the street from the Swordsman's Guild. Master Reuben's arm was now wrapped in a bandage and did not seem to be in any pain.

"Before you head to Payon, I think there is one more thing you would like to see." The old knight placed whistled and suddenly, there was a disturbance from the forest beyond the left boundary of Izlude. Birds took flight in sequence as something rushed through the forest. Seyren whirled around to find the source of the noise, and his gaze fell upon the unmistakeable hint of movement through the trees. Then all of sudden, a streak of bright orange darted out of the trees and dove onto the lakeside. Seyren's eyes widened as the creature swiftly yet awkwardly swam across the surface of the lake before hopping onto the pavement near where they were standing. "Is that…?"

"Coco!" shouted Seyren as he ran to meet the creature, now fully revealed to be a Pecopeco. As Seyren reached it, the bird briefly regarded him with hesitation, before adjusting its saddle and cawing in what sounded like elation. Seyren nuzzled Coco with affection as his master looked on with a smile.

"Though anyone else might have their doubts on who you are, it appears that Coco recognized you at a glance," said Master Reuben. "As they say, animals have are better at determining these things than humans are."

Seyren pulled away from his beloved mount and smiled. Memories flooded into him like water bursting out of floodgates. Coco, his faithful mount and companion had served him faithfully in his previous life. Any guilt he had for hurting his master was forgotten as the feelings were replaced with joyful nostalgia.

"It's been too long Coco, how about we ride around the fields of Prontera for old times' sake?"

"Wait, Seyren, I don't think…" Seyren seemed not to hear his master's words as he gently climbed onto Coco's saddle. Grasping the reins with both hands, he shouted, "Let's go!" and the two were off, bounding off towards the bridge leading out of Izlude, his excitement only momentarily stifled as he apologized to several passerby who had to leap out of the way of his mount.

Master Reuben sighed as he saw his pupil disappear around a corner. "It has been quite some time since I saw that childlike look on his face," he mumbled to himself. Proceeding towards his own Pecopeco mount that was perched under the shade of a tree near the Swordsmans' Guild, Master Reuben rode off after his pupil.

* * *

Seyren was shouting excitedly to himself as he rode Coco around the fields of Prontera. Various plants and animals hide in fright as they passed and peered out of their hiding places to survey the duo shortly after the dust they kicked up had disappeared. Seyren did not seem to notice anything at all however, as he closed his eyes and loosened his grip on the reins. Coco slowed down a tiny amount, as to not let her rider fall. Seyren did not seem to worry about anything at all, as the cool wind blew against his face under the heat of the afternoon sun.

Being a knight was, for at least as far as Seyren's vague recollections tell him, always a bit stifling. But being able to ride on Coco gave him the feeling of freedom: to simply enjoy himself, away from the duties of knighthood. He opened his eyes and gently stroked Coco's head. The bird slowed down to a saunter and slowed next to the lakeside surrounding Izlude. Seyren stopped next to a tree growing just inches from the water before dismounting. Coco affectionately pressed her head against Seyren once more, causing him to chuckle and say, "It seems you missed me too, Coco."

Seyren sat down next to the water, facing towards the city of Izlude. The reflection of the city can be seen on the lake, as the sun shone upon the surface of the water. "I remember watching this with you before, the first time I rode you," said Seyren. "I think I was telling you about where it all began." Seyren picked up a nearby stone and tossed it across the water's surface. He expected it to bounce across the water several times before sinking, but it simply sank as soon as it hit the water. "Heh, I still can't do it, huh…"

* * *

Seyren remembered always being alone. He vaguely remembers being in an orphanage, with a lot of other children. He remembers having friends then, but he preferred being alone. Nobody was really happy there. It was pretty gloomy and the caretaker was not very nice. Well at least, that was what he thought. Life then was a blur.

He then remembered riding on something. He remembered stepping on something wooden. He remembered grasping metal. He remembered the feeling of the wind on his face, not unlike how he felt when he rode Coco just then. He smirked to himself. He loved the wind on his face.

He remembered seeing Izlude across the lake for the very first time. He was amazed on how a city was able to stand in the middle of a lake. He remembered… something else. What was it?

When he was standing at the side of the lake, he remembered that there was someone else there. He remembered saying something to that person.

"Hey, if I bet I can make a stone bounce at least five times across the lake!"

Seyren smiled. That must be the reason why he tried making a stone bounce today as well. He remembered not succeeding back then either.

A laugh. Someone was laughing. It was a happy sort of laugh. It made Seyren smile. But whose laugh was it? He could not remember.

* * *

"Seyren!"

Once again, the voice of his old master wrenched Seyren from his fantasy. This time however, Seyren faced his master right away and shouted, "Over here sir!"

Master Reuben rode up next to Seyren with his Pecopeco. Seeing it up close, Seyren realized that his master's Pecopeco looked older, more battle-hardened. It glared at him in a way that made him uncomfortable, but made no move towards him. His master dismounted, and the Pecopeco slowly walked towards Coco. Master Reuben sighed as he watched his mount leave him.

"Galerunner doesn't seem to like the fact that you took away his daughter so suddenly," said Master Reuben. Seyren smiled and said, "Sorry, I will apologize to him later."

"So how did it feel? Riding once more?"

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Seyren. "I cannot remember the last time I felt like this." He turned towards the lake once more. "Master, do you remember me ever standing next to the lake like this before? When I was much younger?"

"Hm, I remember you always coming here, even before you met Coco," said Master Reuben. He scratched his chin as he looked across the lake. "I always thought you came here to reminisce your time as a swordsman. Well the fact that you're a swordsman right now, notwithstanding..."

"Was there someone else with me?"

"Hm? I think I'd remember if there was someone with you. I don't think there was."

"Oh."

Seyren sighed disappointedly. He picked up another rock and tossed it across the lake. This attempt was a failure as well.

"When I was a boy, I used to play that game with my friends," said Master Reuben. "We'd see who would get the most bounces, and then whoever had the least number of bounces had to tell the girl we like how we felt!"

"Really?" asked Seyren, turning to face his master.

"Yep, I always had the highest bounces, so I never got to play that penalty game." For a second, Seyren thought that his master's expression became troubled. "Everyone else got to share their feelings, while I… Never mind."

Seyren turned to face the lake once more. He had never heard his master talk to him about his past like that before. Well, at least he cannot remember if he did.

"Listen Seyren, I'm sorry for casting doubt on your friends before," said Master Reuben. "I think it is very good that there are people that you would trust with your life, no matter what."

"It is alright sir, I'm sure you were only looking out for my safety."

"Heh, I guess there is no need to tell you this, since your shaping up to be a better knight than I ever been."

"That isn't true sir. You are the greatest knight I know."

"Perhaps, but Seyren… Live with no regrets."

Seyren was silent. He did not know how to respond to his master's advice. It was much different from the kind of advice he was used to get from his master. Dusk was approaching, and the sun was casting an orange glow over the lake. The reflection of Izlude slowly became dimmer until distant lights in the city turned on.

"There is still a lot of time for you to be in this world," said Master Reuben. "So try to live without any regrets. When there are things that need to be said, do not leave them unsaid. When opportunity presents itself, grab it as much as you can. When you have people you can trust, you should cherish them and protect them." He turned to face Seyren. "I've made plenty of mistakes in my life you know. Consider it part of my lifetime of accumulated wisdom in the knighthood."

"Thank you sir. I will take your advice to heart," said Seyren simply. He feels as though he has responded like this perhaps dozens of times before to his master, but the simplicity of his response was filled with definite sincerity. His master seemed to understand, as he nodded.

"Well… Before it becomes completely dark, allow me to present you a preview of your prize for completing the mission I gave you."

"Is that necessary, sir?"

"Well, not really," said Master Reuben with a chuckle. "But I like to show things off to my best pupil." He approached his mount Galerunner, who was quietly drinking water from the lake next to his daughter, and retrieved a sword sheathed in a very beautiful looking scabbard. Seyren was mesmerized by the abstract gold carvings that seemed to glow with the sunset. His eyes swept across the scabbard, from the end of the scabbard hiding the tip of the blade, to the hilt of the sword. It had a handguard, which glowed beautifully as well, and the pommel was encrusted with a single ruby.

"This…" Master Reuben gripped the hilt of the sword and pulled it out. The blade had the brightest-looking steel that Seyren had ever seen. Seyren noted that the blade was shorter than the sword he was currently using, and looked at it for a quick comparison.

"This sword has served me for a little while when I was younger," said Master Reuben. "I put it away after a while, since my captain did not appreciate its flashy-looking design. It has been mistaken for a decorative weapon more than once, but I assure you, it is deadly-effective." He swung it several times with such speed that Seyren took a step back in surprise. "The shortened blade allows for faster swings and allows you to more easily focus your strength when going for a decisive blow."

"I have not used this sword in years, but I kept it in good condition. I never saw any reason to bring it out again, until now."

Master Reuben carefully flipped the sword, offering the hilt to Seyren. Seyren was about to grab it but pulled his hand away at the last second. He felt hesitant to take something so special.

"And this is my reward sir? But isn't this important to you?" asked Seyren.

"I don't think I'll ever find the need to use this blade once again, but it is the best sword I know. It will serve as a fitting reward for you. Consider it a medal of sorts, when you finally accomplish the task I set for you."

Seyren gazed at the beautiful sword once more. It definitely looked like the decorative sword, but he knew that his master would not lie about the effectiveness of his weapon. In his mind, he smiled to himself. It might be pretty cool for him to have such a sword.

"Alright sir, I will set out to perform your task right away."

"Good. I expect no less from my star pupil."


	24. Chapter 24 To Juno

Kathryne tightly pulled her cloak around her as she exited the cabin. It had been a few hours since the airship left Al de Baran. She sighed to herself as she thought about her parents, but she felt glad that she did not see them as she and her friends entered the city. Shaking her head to drive the troublesome thoughts away, she instead fixed her gaze on Eremes, who was leaning against one of the steel poles of the airship. The propellers at the top of the steel pole sent vibrations downwards but Eremes appeared not to mind at all. His arms were folded and he had a blank expression on his face, as usual, and seemed to be staring at nothing in particular. Kathryne wanted to say something, but decided that it could wait.

"So what's the hold up?"

Kathryne nearly jumped. She whirled around to see Cecil grinning at her. Kathryne did not notice that she followed her out of the cabin.

"Don't surprise me like that Cecil," said Kathryne in an exasperated voice.

"Now aren't you overreacting?" asked Cecil with a mischievous look on her face. "I was just walking behind you when you suddenly stopped."

"Your expression implies that you were planning to sneak up on me," replied Kathryne.

"Well, never mind that! Come on, let's have a look around the deck!"

Before Kathryne could reply, Cecil grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the deck. As they passed Eremes, Cecil nodded at him and Kathryne smiled awkwardly as she was being dragged. Eremes however did not acknowledge either of them. Kathryne looked back at Eremes as they passed, feeling slightly sad. "_Well that's Eremes for you," _she thought.

Kathryne pulled herself from Cecil after several meters of being dragged. She righted herself and walked briskly to keep up with Cecil.

"This is pretty cool you know!" exclaimed Cecil as she surveyed the exterior of the airship's deck. "Who knew this hunk of wood could fly?"

"Well technically, it's mostly made of steel plate, but yes it is pretty amazing," commented Kathryne. Cecil ran towards one of the safety barriers and looked over it, seeing nothing but clouds below. "How high up are we anyway?" she asked loudly. Kathryne looked down from the barrier as well, but stepped away quickly.

"That's a bit frightening," Kathryne mumbled quietly.

"What?"Cecil asked loudly. "I can't hear you over the sound of the propellers!"

"N-Nothing," said Kathryne as she turned her back to the barrier. She calmed herself down and recalled something she read from a book about airships. "I think we're about five thousand feet above the ground."

"That's pretty high up!" exclaimed Cecil, still looking over the barrier. "This is fun don't you think!"

Kathryne shook her head and smiled. "You know sometimes I think Howard has influenced you too much. Speaking of which, where is he?"

"Oh Howard? I think he's at the engine room."

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't know! You can't really expect me to be responsible for what he does all the time!"

Kathryne smiled and replied, "No I guess not." She sighed once more. Feeling a bit cold because of her skimpy mage outfit, she turned towards Cecil and said, "I think I'll head back inside. It's really cold out here."

"Huh? Wait, I'll join you. It would be boring out here without anyone but keeps-to-himself over there," said Cecil, gesturing without looking towards Eremes.

* * *

"Woo boy, check this baby out!" exclaimed Howard as he observed the humming machinery inside the engine room. Seyren was leaning by the doorway, looking at him. "Don't forget, we're here on guard duty," said Seyren.

Howard turned towards Seyren and replied, "Guard duty? Not to belittle the awesomeness of yours truly, but shouldn't this be a job for higher-class warriors?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" asked Seyren in an exasperated voice. "We're the only adventurers on this ride, so the captain decided that we will have to do."

"But I know there was one other guy who looked like he knew how to fight." Howard crossed his arms and looked thoughtful for a moment. "He had a long metal thingy strapped to his back."

"Regardless, we're watching the engine so that nothing gets in here and causes damage," said Seyren.

Howard turned towards the engine once more and said, "What can possibly attack this thing? I didn't see anyone suspicious among the passengers… Well besides that guy I mentioned. He looked plenty suspicious."

"No idea," said Seyren. "I asked the Captain, but he just laughed at me and said that it was nothing to worry about, and it is a common occurrence."

"Common?"

* * *

Eremes sighed deeply. Barely aware of what was going around him, he was quietly collecting his thoughts. Perhaps if he concentrated hard enough, he can figure out more about what happened to his father. His mother's words as Eremes spoke to her in his memories were things that he did not want to forget, so he imagined creating a precious space inside his head were he can put his memory of her, and keep it safe so that whatever happens, he would not forget.

Staring blankly ahead of him, he suddenly became aware that his unobstructed view of the airship deck was disturbed by a mysterious person. Eremes unfolded his arms and stood up straight to get a better look at the intruder.

He realized that it was a woman, with short blond hair. She was wearing a black leather jacket tightly wrapped around her slender figure. Her midriff was bared, and she wore matching black leather pants and boots. Her arms were spread out and she had what look like a smile on her face, as though she was enjoying the wind. What really drew Eremes' attention however was a strange contraption strapped to her brown leather belt. It seemed familiar to him, but he could not remember it. Eremes cursed himself at having so many clues to his past presented to him, but being unable to remember anything, not even a vague image or a voice.

Before he knew it, he was approaching the woman. He decided that he might as well ask her about… whatever she had attached to her belt. All of a sudden however, the woman grabbed the thing attached to her belt, brandished it in one swift motion and pointed it at Eremes. Instinctively, Eremes withdrew his knife and entered a defensive stance. No clear memory comes to mind as he looked intently at the tip of the weapon brandished by the woman. One thing he can be sure of however, whether by vague memory or intuition.

It was dangerous.

Time seemed to slow down for Eremes as he gazed at his adversary's weapon. He gripped his dagger more tightly. Before he could say or do anything however, the woman had pointed her weapon somewhere else and the next thing Eremes knew, he was lying on the floor on his stomach. Something heavy fell on top of him, and the impact knocked his dagger off his hand. He quickly scrambled to his feet, pushing the weight on his back off. He stood back up and resumed his stance. The woman however, had replaced her weapon at her belt.

"You should be thankful I was here sugar," said the woman with a surprisingly sweet voice. Eremes lowered his guard for but a second as he failed to hear an expected threat or taunt. The woman continued speaking, ignoring his hostile look. "If I had been off for a tiny bit, that thing would have had you for lunch."

Eremes was surprised at what the woman said. Looking behind him to see the weight he threw off, he suddenly took a few steps away from it as he saw what it is. A strange creature, with a lithe black body, except for the area surrounding the mouth, was sprawled at the floor behind him. Its visible eye was staring into nothing, and Eremes saw a small clean hole at the side of its face, blood trickling out of it. He whirled around to face the woman again.

"Well sugar, I dig the threads, pretty unusual," said the woman as she took a good look at Eremes. Eremes took a step back, realizing that he was quite close to the woman. "But I think we can talk later. Fact is… that thing over there? They come in packs. You'd best get inside."

"Packs?!" repeated Eremes incredulously. Sure enough, another pair of the strange black creatures leapt on the deck behind him, causing him to step back once again, this time, onto the female stranger. As he stared onto the monster's faces, he realized that their mouths were circular, full of wicked teeth and a vicious-looking, slender tongues flicking about. The woman then grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, knocking him onto the floor once more. "Get back newbie, this is something no greenhorn thief can handle!" she shouted.

Not wanting to be left out of the action, Eremes started to pick himself up. Noticing that he was knocked towards his dagger, he grabbed it and whirled to face the monsters once more. One of them leapt towards the woman, but she quickly sidestepped, dodging the creature's vicious swipes with its claws. The creature then swiped its rear claws at her, but she jumped over them just in time.

The other creature ignored the two combatants, quickly moving across the deck, its body kept low. Eremes noticed the creature and correctly guessed its intent. He quickly dashed towards his opponent, stopping short as the creature swiped its claws in front of him, inches from his face. With a quick step to the right, he plunged his knife towards the creature, grazing its arm. Howling with fury, the creature lashed out with its tongue. Eremes noticed this time that the tip of the creature's tongue was barbed, and he bent backwards to avoid it. The creature then swiped at his feet, but Eremes quickly back-flipped to avoid it. Specks of blackish fluid got onto his clothes as the creature swiped with its injured arm. The creature lunged towards him as soon as he righted himself, so he gave it a quick side-step before kicking the one of the creature's hind legs. As the creature howled in pain once more, Eremes struck the creature two decisive blows in the back. In its death throes, it knocked Eremes away with its arms, almost grazing him with its claws. Taking a breath and stepping back, he gave the hilt of his dagger a good kick, driving it deeper inside the creatures back. With its howl finally losing its pitch, it collapsed on the floor.

Panting, Eremes glanced at the aftermath of the battle. As black blood flowed out of the wound he drove onto the creatures back, he realized that the tension he was feeling was something he had felt before, but not for a very long time. He glanced at the battle of the female stranger, but he saw that she was sitting near him, on a nearby section of the barrier. She seemed to be surveying him with mild interest.

"Well I'll be a Yoyo's aunt," she said with a cheerful tone. "I never actually thought you'd stand a chance against that Gremlin! Most lower class warriors can't even outlast that thing in a fair fight. But then again, you didn't let yourself get hit…"

"Gremlin?" repeated Eremes. He glanced once more at his fallen adversary.

"Ayup, those are Gremlins. Nobody knows where they come from, but they regularly attack airships. Those teeth make quick work of this baby's steel plating!" She shuddered in what appeared to be pretend fear, since her expression remained cheerful. "But one of them seems to be no match for you. A cutie and a tough guy. I like you!"

Eremes ignored her compliments and went to recover his dagger. As he pulled it out of the Gremlin's body however, he became fearful. What if the others were attacked?

"You look a little worried there, sugar," commented the stranger. She stood up straight and took out a coin from her pocket. She made a fist, pointed towards Eremes and placed the coin on her thumb. "If you're thinking about your friends, they're probably safe. Gremlins don't usually follow people indoors, since there's nothing to eat in there!"

Eremes looked around and saw no one else around. He sighed with relief. Then he realized that he could not find the body of the Gremlin the woman fought. He turned to face her and before he could ask, she said, "I kicked mine overboard. Little bugger should be painting the ground black by now."

"Thanks for the gruesome mental image," said Eremes who could not help himself but chuckle. "By the way, I don't think we've been properly introduced. The name's Eremes. Eremes…" He suddenly realized that he forgot what his surname was. "_What the hell?"_ he thought.

"The name's Sheryl, sugar. Ooh that sounded nice," replied the stranger. "Sheryl sugar. Who knew?" Sheryl chuckled to herself before flipping the coin. She repositioned her hand so that the coin would land on the back of it. She covered the coin with her other hand as it landed. She grimaced at the result as she looked inside.

"By the way Sheryl," continued Eremes, ignoring Sheryl's quip. "You said these… Gremlins. They come in packs right?"

"Ayup. Why you ask?"

"Well, I'm just taking a stab in the dark here, but isn't three… too small for a pack?"

"Holy Hydra in a handbasket, you're right!" She quickly placed the coin back in her pocket. "We have to take another gander around the ship to make sure nothing got in!" She quickly motioned for Eremes to follow her and they both ran towards the lower door leading to the cabin.

* * *

Inside the airship, at the lower deck, was a cafeteria. Seated at one of the tables next to the stairs leading to the upper deck were Cecil and Kathryne. They were both enjoying a small meal of bread and cake when suddenly there was a loud noise from the upper deck.

"What was that?" asked Kathryne.

"Turbulence, probably," answered Cecil before taking a bite of her bread. "I heard it from some of the other passengers."

"What other passengers? Take a look around."

Kathryne gestured around the cafeteria. All the table sets were unoccupied and there was no one walking around, not even airship staff. The only other person with them was the one standing behind the counter, serving food.

"Didn't you see them? We passed them on the way down here," said Cecil. "One of them was a priest wearing a strange hat. The other was some cool-looking guy wearing all black. He isn't some kind of adventurer I recognize."

"Really? I guess my thoughts were somewhere else…" Kathryne had a distant look on her face that was not lost on Cecil.

"Hey, what are you thinking about Kathryne?" asked Cecil. "Is there something wrong?"

Kathryne turned to face Cecil. She looked hesitant for moment before saying, "It's nothing Cecil…"

Cecil took a sip from her juice and said, "Listen Kathryne, we're heading to Juno to figure out our memories right? If there's something bothering you, it might be good for all of us to share it."

Kathryne lowered her head. Cecil reached and grasped Kathryne's hand. "Besides, as a friend I can't just sit here and not do anything when I see you looking like this," she said with a smile. Kathryne lifted her head said, "Well, maybe you're right… You see…"

Their conversation was interrupted by an even louder noise. Cecil stood up quickly, knocking her chair to the floor. Kathryne nearly fell of hers.

"It feels like that that is more than just turbulence," said Cecil, her expression turning serious. She quickly reached for her bow and quiver, which were tucked hidden beneath their table. Kathryne slowly stood up and grabbed a nearby wooden beam for support. The airship felt like it was tilting.

"Something's wrong. Where are the others?" asked Kathryne, her expression becoming more frightened by the second.

Another loud noise. This time it was followed by pained howling. It made Kathryne and Cecil fearful. Cecil quickly bolted up the stairs, shouting behind her, "Find Howard and Seyren! They should be at the engine room!"

"B-But… Eremes!"

"Eremes will be fine! It's Margaretha I'm worried about! Now go!"


	25. Chapter 25 Nearly Forgotten

Margaretha was seated alone on a wooden bench, her eyes closed in quiet meditation. On her lap was a small bag containing her belongings and the string keeping it closed was wrapped around her right wrist. Her hands were clasped together in prayer.

A slight movement to her left broke her meditative stance. She glanced at what disturbed her and her eyes met with that of a strange, bespectacled man. She nearly gasped in surprise.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you," said the man. Margaretha noted that though there was roughness in his voice, it was surprising gentle. Margaretha took a good look at him and saw that he was wearing scholarly-looking, yet somewhat tattered-looking coat. His face had a small trace of youthfulness left in it despite his short, white hair. Margaretha smiled at the stranger.

"There is no need to apologize, I was merely praying to Odin for a safe journey," said Margaretha. "My name is… Margaretha. And who might you be?"

"Ah…" the stranger smiled back at her before looking away. "I am but a lowly alchemist, whose name is unimportant."

"Nonsense…" began Margaretha, but noticed quickly that the alchemist had a stance that suggested that the matter should not be pressed. Unable to think of anything else to say, Margaretha simply fiddled the strings of her bag nervously.

"I am curious…" said the alchemist in a voice barely above a whisper. "What is a young acolyte doing here alone?"

"Ah…" Margaretha's expression suddenly became worried. Was she being targeted by this strange man? The alchemist noticed her expression and quickly held his hands out, his back bent away from her. "I'm sorry. I did not wish to frighten you. Rest assured, I mean you no harm."

Margaretha sighed with relief. Sure she was not alone with the stranger, with a good number of people passing by. "_Still,_" she thought. "_A girl could not help but worry for her safety when approached by a strange man."_ She silently wished that Eremes was with her.

"Is there something wrong?" asked the alchemist. Margaretha was startled. She quietly told herself not to become so deep in thought when talking with a stranger.

"N-Nothing is wrong." Margaretha sighed. "If you are to ask, I am waiting here for my friends. I believe they went to retrieve luggage, or refreshments or whatnot."

"You seem unsure."

Margaretha nodded. "I was meditating for a while but then I noticed that everyone had disappeared. I assumed that they went somewhere for a little while. I has been… quite a bit of time since then."

The alchemist looked at Margaretha curiously. His gaze made Margaretha uncomfortable. The sound of an airship rising into the sky interrupted them however. As it rose, it caused an updraft where they were sitting. People clutched onto their clothes and belonging as the airship slowly turned and moved away. Margaretha in particular held her hair down with one hand and clutched her bag tightly with the other. The alchemist seemed completely unfazed.

"By the way, If I may just ask… Does your ticket happen to be for the Flight D852?"

"Huh?" Margaretha had not looked at her ticket beforehand, so she did not know. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a ticket that Seyren gave her. "Why… yes it is. Why did you ask?"

The alchemist sighed before folding his arms, facing front once more. "That flight already left for Juno about an hour ago."

Margaretha was stunned. Was she truly meditating for so long that she did not notice? She felt a little angry at herself for being left behind, but felt even angrier at the thought of being forgotten. She decided that she would have to have a word with Eremes when they meet… again.

"T-This can't be happening!" exclaimed Margaretha as anger gave way to panic. "How am I supposed to meet with my friends again?! I…"

"Calm down Margaretha…" said the alchemist in a gentle voice. Somehow, the alchemist's words felt a little familiar to Margaretha, but she was too panicked to give it much thought. "Listen..." continued the alchemist. "I have friend from the Kafra corporation with me. If we are to go and meet her, she'll be able to set you up for a direct teleport to Juno."

"A-A direct teleport to Juno?" repeated Margaretha. The alchemist nodded. "The airship should only take a few hours to get there. You can wait for them there, perhaps even before they notice you were gone!" When he saw Margaretha's expression darken from his last statement, he nervously added, "O-Of course, they're more likely to be worried sick about you right now. But the airship will not stop to return for late passengers. Your best course of action is to definitely await them at Juno."

Margaretha sighed once more. She decided that she had little choice but to trust the alchemist. He seemed trustworthy enough... But still, something bothered her.

"May I ask? Why are you offering help to me?" asked Margaretha, adjusting her tone carefully. "This direct teleport to Juno… is unheard of."

"Oh I'm quite sure that as an adventurer, you know how steadfast with their duty Kafra girls are," replied the alchemist in a matter-of-fact tone. Margaretha felt slightly surprised at his calm answer. "As for the Juno teleport, I'm sure you understand. If everyone knew that there was a direct teleport to Juno, then nobody will ride the airships. The Airship company would come into conflict with the Kafra corporation. The problems are still being discussed by the council in Prontera. In the meantime, those wishing to make use of the direct teleportation service would have to pay a hefty fee."

"A fee?"

"Oh no need to worry my dear, I can speak with my friend to let you make use of this service for free just this once. I'll have to owe her a favour, but it shouldn't prove to be a problem."

Margaretha felt uncomfortable yet again. "Again I ask: why are you doing this? For a complete stranger?"

For a split second, Margaretha thought that the alchemist look at her with a distant expression was quickly replaced with a calm smile. "You might not believe me, but I work here at the Airship terminal. You seemed to be a in a bit of trouble, as it is unusual to see an acolyte by herself."

"Really…? And how does helping me help…"

"Oh it's to help with Customer Service, we could use much less complaints coming in, so it would benefit my peers to not have to deal with your situation. Not that I'm saying that it would be a bother to them, though!" The alchemist laughed. "Well then, shall we go?"

Margaretha nodded. The alchemist got up and motioned for her to follow. Margaretha slowly got and approached the alchemist, who briskly walked towards a nearby Kafra girl with short blue hair. Margaretha was surprised on how suddenly that Kafra girl appeared. She did not look like any Kafra girl she had seen.

"Hello my name is Sheila," said the blue-haired Kafra girl, bowing toward Margaretha. Noticing Margaretha's curious expression, she added, "If I look unfamiliar, it's because I hail from the Schwartzvald Republic. We hope that you will make use of Kafra Corp.'s services there as well!"

"Ummm okay…" murmured Margaretha, taken aback by the sudden introduction.

"Okay…" The Kafra girl nodded towards the alchemist before turning to Margaretha once more. "A special direct trip to Juno, coming right up! You should arrive at the town square. Another Kafra employee should meet you there, and will offer assistance in case you need it."

Margaretha smiled. Though uncertain with the strange alchemist's suggestion, there was no doubting the steadfastness of a Kafra girl. She nodded at the Kafra girl before turning to the alchemist.

"Um… I would like to thank you for this…" said Margaretha. The alchemist smiled at her and said, "We hope that you would be able to successfully our Airship service in the future!"

Margaretha nodded. As the Kafra girl completed her preparations for the teleportation, Margaretha took a moment to observe the alchemist once more. He was definitely familiar, but she could not think how. As the world faded around Margaretha as the teleport took effect, she was quite sure with one thing.

That alchemist definitely does not work for the Airship company.


End file.
